Browning: BMCC likes its school board as it is now
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) President Mark Browning is worried about Senate Bill 1537. Proposed by the Senate Interim Committee on Education, it would require, among other things, that college boards of education must have a full-time student as a member.
Browning said the legislation would be a mistake. First, he points out that at BMCC, a much greater percentage of the students are attending part time, not full time.
He praised the current BMCC Board of Education, with seven elected members representing the areas the community college serves. He said that board acts as the supervisor of the president, who handles day-to-day operations.
Further, Browning said having a student on the board would expose that person to possible confidential information about people who could be their teachers.
“That would be a little like you and I going to JC Penney and saying, ‘I’m gonna have a say in who the clerk is, who the freight person is, who’s doing the buying of the clothing.’ It’s a bad idea.”
SB 1537 is now before the Senate Committee on Education and a work session on it is scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday.
File photo of BMCC President Mark Browning
