Round Rock ISD Seeks Complete Inclusion In Austin Community College District

DALLAS — Citizens in Round Rock will be asked to support complete inclusion in the Austin Community College District and whether they want to build a new campus for the college within the growing suburb and lower tuition rates for more students. A sliver of the Round Rock Independent School District sits in Austin and is therefore already included within the community college district. But the majority — about two-thirds — of the district, located in both Williamson County and Travis County, isn’t part of the community college’s taxing district. Tuition is $39 per credit hour for in-district students and $110 per credit hour for those outside the taxing district. “There’s definitely a need for a community college here in Round Rock,” said Tracy Hoke, chief financial officer for the ISD. “So often people only look at their tax statements … but now I think some are starting to the see the value in having a community college in the area. It will also be coordinating services and be built near Texas State’s campus. So it’s certainly a great opportunity to expand post-secondary education here in Round Rock.” School district trustee Raymond Hartfield said a citizen’s committee tasked with gathering signatures on a petition is being formed to put the annexation question to a vote. He said 5% of residents, or about 4,200 people, must sign the petition to have the referendum on the May 2008 ballot. “We need to establish a firm commitment to the citizens that this campus will be built in Round Rock,” Hartfield said. “Then we’ll need to get the taxpayers to sign the petition — probably need 5,000 signatures to get 4,200 valid ones — by Nov. 1 so we can submit them for authentication and get the proposal on the May ballot.” Hartfield, who agreed to co-chair the committee with Glen Colby, said they expect to know if enough signatures have been secured by Dec. 1. If the annexation is approved, the community college will issue debt, in addition to other funding, to acquire the land and build the new campus with an anticipated opening date of fall 2010. The community college has offered classes in the city at the Texas State University campus since the 1980s through the Round Rock Higher Education Center. But growth in the city’s population and overcrowding at the Texas State facility necessitates a new, independent campus for ACC. The community college now doesn’t offer any science classes or workforce education programs, which are needed due the increasing number of residents with limited English proficiency. Ben Ferrell, the chief financial officer for the community college, said a new facility in Round Rock would have the capacity for 10,000 to 12,000 students, making it the largest of the system’s campuses. ACC students currently attend class across seven campuses, the Round Rock center and a handful of high schools and other facilities. The community college’s total enrollment is more than 33,000, including about 9,300 full-time students and about 23,500 students from within the ACC taxing district. “The new campus is going to be big enough to have enough space to offer a lot of programs so folks aren’t driving all over Travis County to get to class,” Ferrell said. “All in all, it’s a tremendous opportunity for the college to address the incredible growth that’s taking place in Round Rock.” “There are a few reasons people want to join a community college district,” said Stephen Kinslow, president of ACC. “For example, the folks in Manor ISD didn’t want to build a campus, but were interested in lower tuition for their residents. Now in Round Rock, it’s a combination of both the lower tuition rates and the opportunity for a 'FREE Early College Start’ for everyone in the ISD. So there are some families interested in having a campus in Round Rock.” The FREE Early College Start program allows high school students to earn college credits at no cost, whereas out-of-district high school students pay $40 a class for the program. Round Rock was home to less than 25,000 people in 1980, and about 61,100 in 2000. Now nearly 90,000 people live in the once-rural community about 15 miles north of downtown Austin.Dell Computer Corp., which was founded in 1984, has its headquarters in Round Rock.