November 19, 2007
South Puget Sound Community College part of consortium with winning proposal for training of county officials
A consortium of Washington state community colleges, including South Puget Sound Community College, has won a contract for the training of elected and appointed county officials and other county employees in the state.
The two-year, $850,000 contract asks for expansion in the curriculum of the Certified Public Official (CPO) Program with subjects such as human resources management, public finance and ethics. In addition, the colleges will develop specialty courses on topics like elections, courts and corrections, and administration of property tax. The colleges will also expand the courses for the training of newly elected officials.
Earlier this year, the County Consortium, which consists of the County Road Administration Board, the Washington Association of County Officials, the Washington Counties Risk Pool and the Washington State Association of Counties, announced a request for proposals (RFP) for the contract. The proposal submitted by the community colleges was chosen over one other submission.
Margaret Hoyer, South Puget Sound’s dean for Leadership and Management Training, will play a lead role for the colleges, overseeing the project’s administration and serving as a liaison with the County Consortium.
“The counties were looking for a statewide approach with local connections. The community colleges have experience with training programs, provide the flexibility to respond to individual communities’ needs and already have established relationships at the local level,” Hoyer said.
Other colleges onboard include project leaders South Puget Sound, Clark College, Lower Columbia College, Tacoma Community College and Whatcom Community College. Big Bend Community College, Centralia College, Highline Community College, Columbia Basin College, Spokane Community College and Wenatchee Valley College are also involved, and Hoyer said she expects more community colleges to join the effort over time.