The signs in front of the school on the corner of 17th Street and Hitt Road still say “Eastern Idaho Technical College,” but inside the buildings, many students at the College of Eastern Idaho are already on a path that will lead toward a four-year degree.

The College of Eastern Idaho was the subject of a hotly contested ballot question in May, one in which proponents prevailed by an overwhelming margin, winning the support of 71 percent of county voters, easily clearing the 67 percent bar required to establish a new taxing district.