TC to unveil campus plans

By Randy Grider
randy@casscountynow.com

Texarkana College officials will showcase the site and an artist’s rendering of a proposed Cass County workforce training facility in Atlanta on Friday morning.
The public unveiling will take place at the location of the former Horne Enterprises -- 101 E. Pinecrest Dr., the intersection of Highway 77 and Highway 43 -- at 8:30 a.m. A meet-and-greet will start at 8 a.m. TC President James Henry Russell encourages everyone to attend.
“We are announcing the site of where Texarkana College Cass County will be if the election is successful,” Russell said. 
“We want people to come out and see what we are offering. We are putting the facts and the information out there as to what Texarkana College is willing to do if the public is willing to partner with us.”
The Texarkana College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Aug. 22 to call for an election to allow a portion of Cass County voters to decide if they will join TC’s taxing district. 
The proposition will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot for voters within the Atlanta, Queen City, Bloomburg, Linden-Kildare and McLeod school districts. If passed, property owners within the  district would be taxed at $0.110718 per $100 valuation.
In addition to the in-district tuition, more dual-credit courses for high school students and representation of the TC Board of Trustees, the proposed annexation calls for building a dedicated workforce training campus in Cass County, which will offer certificate programs for welding, cosmetology, licensed vocational nursing and truck driving. 
TC’s contract on the purchase of the property is contingent on a feasibility study that includes voters passing the proposed annexation. Russell said TC plans to do about $2 million in renovations and additions to the existing site. 
“Our total investment on the property will be between the $3 million to $4 million range,” Russell said. 
Russell said TC’s highest priority is increasing the number of people with higher education credentials in the region. 
The 2015 American Community Survey reports that Northeast Texas has the lowest percentage of persons holding higher education credentials in the state. 
The state of Texas’ higher education plan, 60x30TX, calls for at least 60 percent of Texans age 25-34 to have earned a college credential by the year 2030. 
Russell told residents at a July public hearing in Atlanta that many businesses and industries looking to locate to an area often scrutinize the education level and certified skills of its residents.
Russell has been busy speaking to organizations in Cass County about the proposed annexation and wants to speak to more groups. 
“We want more,” Russell said. “We will go anywhere, anytime and speak to any number. We don’t care how big or how small.” 
Following last month’s call for an election, Russell said if voters decide to become part of the TC taxing district, they will see a significant return on investment. 
“One of the major benefits of growing the district includes increased access to dual credit programs for area high school students and reduced tuition rates,” Russell said. 
“Just last year alone, students in Cass County earned 1,892 college credit hours through dual credit, saving families almost $1.5 million compared to tuition at the average state college or university. And if annexation is successful, TC students earning an associate degree or certificate would begin paying in-district rates for tuition amounting to more than a $1,000 savings per year.”