Standards for approval

Every community college shall meet the following standards: (a) At least all of the territory of the petitioning district or districts or all of one county shall be included in the proposed community college district. (b) Any contiguous compact territory in the area in which the petitioning districts are located may be included in the proposed community college district. (c) The proposed community college district shall have taxable property valuation in an amount not less than twenty million dollars ($20,000,000). Any community college the campus of which is located in a county having a taxable property valuation of less than twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) and if the same contains the territory of an existing college shall only be required to include all of such county. (d) The community college shall have a potential student attendance volume within commuting distance in the area of at least nine hundred (900) students enrolled in grades nine (9) to twelve (12) inclusive, in the opinion of school officials of the petitioning district or districts and in the opinion of the state board. The advisory council shall state its opinion of the student potential in the proposed district in making its recommendation to the state board. (e) The overall intention of the legislature shall be controlling in the interpretation of the requirements for approval of the community colleges.