By Kathryn Reed

It is going to take longer than anticipated for Lake Tahoe Community College to be able to offer Nevada residents in the basin the same rate as Californians. But the end result may be a lower rate for Tahoe residents at Nevada colleges, too.

Senate Bill 329 is still alive – it’s just going to be a two-year process.

“We want to see if there is a small scale reciprocal agreement with Nevada on a very localized basis,” LTCC President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News.

The goal is for the Lake Tahoe Basin to be treated as a whole and not divided by the state line. LTCC is the closest college for South Shore students on the Nevada side to attend, but their fee is substantially higher because of that line.

The original plan just involved LTCC. Now UNR and Western Nevada College are being brought into the fold so there could be a lowering of tuition expenses for California students too, but only for a small geographic area.

UNR is the closest public four-year college for South Shore, and most Lake Tahoe Basin, residents to attend.

While the initial meeting with lawmakers in Sacramento went well, the reality is lawmakers in California may not be needed to make the deal happen.

If the college staffs are able to work out a deal, it’s possible approval would then be sought from the Nevada Board of Regents. California education code already has rules on the books about reciprocal agreements for colleges on state borders.

With Sierra Nevada College being private, it is not part of the current discussions. Plus, LTCC has a partnership with the Incline Village four-year school.