This bill would prohibit non-U.S. citizens from serving as a technical college board member in Wisconsin.
Technical college boards are responsible for organization, operation, and planning aspects of these institutions. Testimony on the bill from the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association noted, “For over a century, Wisconsin’s technical college boards have been comprised of employers, employees, elected officials, and others, selected via a competitive, merit-based process by committees of elected local officials serving as the appointment authority. These appointment committees are comprised of either county board chairs, county executives, or school board presidents, and their selections are made in an open and public process.”
This proposal to exclude legal permanent residents, DREAMers, refugees, people granted asylum status, and others who are lawfully in the United States and pursuing citizenship from opportunities to serve on technical college boards is grounded in xenophobia and would be a disservice to students who would benefit from inclusion of diverse perspectives on these governing boards.
