By Phil West @ The Commercial Appeal

State Sen. Doug Davis of Hernando filed legislation Thursday that he said would save money for taxpayers and students by consolidating the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges with the board of the State Institutions of Higher Learning.

The move would save taxpayer dollars by having only one board for the state’s higher education institutions and reduce the risk of students having to duplicate coursework when they transfer from a community college to a four-year university, said Davis, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee.

Local community college boards, which would retain the power to hire and fire school presidents, would not be affected by the legislation.