Buda Chamber of Commerce
by DICK SCHNEIDER
About five years ago, the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce’s education committee started work to bring higher education to north Hays County. It was obvious to the Education Committee that, with the anticipated growth that was coming to north Hays County, there would be a dramatic need for an educated workforce.
By educated workforce, we meant education beyond K-12 in both the academic and vocational realm. In order to bring in the desired types of economic development, beyond the retail sector, our area needed to develop a better educated workforce. We also realized that we needed an educational system that had the ability and willingness to work in a timely manner with prospective employers to develop employment candidates that had the skills required by those prospective employers.
When all of our needs were assessed, we determined that the best way to solve our educational dilemma was to develop an alliance with Austin Community College and to work with them to bring a local ACC campus to our area.
I can tell you from the personal experiences of both me and my wife, having an ACC campus in our area is one of the best ways available to raise our community’s level of educated, employable people. We both got our start in a junior college atmosphere in Chicago and we believe that it was the best and most affordable way to begin our college experience. Whether a student desires to go beyond the two year programs or is working in one of the vocational areas, there is no better way to learn than through an ACC-type educational program. That being said, if we become “in district,” our student population will also save more than 60 percent on the cost of their ACC education.
That brings us to the next part of the equation. How much does it cost to be “in district”? I have looked at all of the numbers and yes, there is a cost associated with being “in district” with ACC.
That cost is $.0946 per $100 of valuation on your home. On a $150,000 home that amounts to roughly $11 per month if you are under 65. For those over 65, you get an additional exemption of $105,000 which drops your cost to roughly $2 per month. Is that too much to spend for your kids or grandkids to have the opportunity to get a great education at a state of the art college in your neighborhood? I don’t think so.
I haven’t had kids in school since 1984 and I am certainly willing to help our students have an opportunity to learn life changing skills that will take them places they never imagined.
Vote “yes” for annexation into the ACC District. It will be the best $2-$11 you will ever spend.
Dick Schneider is a member of the North Hays County Steering Committee and President of the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce.
