NIC’s new attorney received nearly $25,000 in December

Kevin Richert | 01/23/2023

North Idaho College’s newly hired lawyer received close to $24,800 during his first month on the job, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported.

And this exceeded monthly payments to NIC’s old law firm from December 2021 to July 2022, when legal bills ranged from $4,375 to $14,460, according to the Press’ Kaye Thornbrugh, who filed a public records request for the invoices.

Art Macomber stands near Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin during a March 2022 Statehouse news conference. Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho EdNews

A divided NIC board hired Art Macomber as attorney on Dec. 5, agreeing to pay the former attorney general candidate $325 an hour for legal work. The move received support from three trustees aligned with the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee; the board’s two other trustees opposed the hire.

Meanwhile, consultant Debbie DiThomas will receive $15,387 for 20 working days between Jan. 9 and Feb. 3, Thornbrugh reported.

Interim president Gregory South hired DiThomas to work on accreditation issues and other matters, and her contract could be extended, Thornbrugh reported.

A regional panel has again raised questions about NIC’s accreditation status. If the Coeur d’Alene-based community college loses its accreditation, students would no longer be able to transfer credits to another school, or receive state-funded scholarships.

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]