ACC & Local Development

Economic development and diversification are dependent on the strength of the local workforce, as well as the resources available to educate, train, and re-train workers.

Did you know?

ACC is the gateway to higher education and training for more than 50 percent of the region's high school graduates and adults.1

• ACC awards associate degrees, which have been identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as the fastest growing workplace credential.
• ACC helps local businesses respond to changing industry needs through its Customized Training Program.
• ACC is the No. 1 provider of transfer students to Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin.
• Bastrop residents currently must commute to Austin for the greatest access to ACC classes and training. They also pay significantly more in out-of-district tuition.
  

Workforce Trainer and Re-Trainer

ACC offers employers and residents:

• Career training opportunities in advanced technology, applied technology, healthcare, multimedia, public service, and business.
• Customized training, such as management skills, technical and leadership training, tailored to meet the needs of businesses and organizations.
• Dozens of technical certificates that allow workers to obtain entry-level job skills in a year or less.
  

Higher Education in Bastrop

An ACC Bastrop Campus would provide increased access to the following college instruction:

• General education courses that transfer to any Texas public college or university.
• Workforce associate degrees and certificates in careers vital to Bastrop.
• Access/foundation programs for individuals who are not yet ready for college but want to continue their studies and prepare for better paying careers.

A local campus also would bring programs and facilities not available at the ACC Bastrop Center. These include free tutors; computer and science labs; day, evening, and weekend classes; and a full range of student services including admissions and records, counseling, advising, financial aid, and career planning.

ACC In-District Benefits

At $42 per credit hour, ACC’s in-district tuition rate is among the lowest in Texas. In-district families also get free access to ACC’s Early College Start Program, which allows high school students to complete up to one year of transferable college courses before graduation. Credit classes are free to senior citizens based upon space availability.

ACC Excels in Education

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which has accredited ACC to award the associate degree, is the same accrediting body that oversees Texas' four-year colleges and universities.

• ACC professors meet the same credentialing standards as faculty at four-year colleges and universities.
  
• ACC transfer students perform well at area universities such as UT-Austin and Texas State, statistically doing better than other transfer students.3
  
• ACC graduates routinely excel on professional certification/licensing exams.4
  

Return on Investment

ACC provides high-quality, affordable education that can help citizens find better jobs, earn higher wages, and contribute more to the local tax base.

• The state's return on its investment in higher education is estimated at $8.08 for every $1 invested.5
  
• A well-educated workforce reduces the need for social services, which shrinks the tax burden of providing services for the under- or unemployed.6
  
• An associate degree brings $340,000 more in lifetime income than a high school diploma.7
• The economic impact of all Texans with associate degrees is $10.1 billion annually.8
  

ACC In-District Costs

ACC's maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate is capped at 9 cents plus a current rate of $0.0051 per $100 valuation to retire facilities bonds, representing less than the state average of 15 cents.9

In addition:

• Senior citizens and individuals with disabilities receive a tax exemption of $115,000 (plus the standard $5,000 homestead exemption).
• The tax rate cap has been raised only once in the history of the college, with voter approval. Any future change to the M&O tax cap would also require voter approval.
• For a home priced at $200,000, the cost to seniors and homeowners with disabilities would be $76.08 per year, or $6.34 a month. Additional scenarios are listed below.

1. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, “High School Graduates Enrolled in Higher Education the Following Fall," 2008-2009.
2. College for All Texans, “College Costs," 2010-2011.
3. ACC Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Accountability, “Student Success Factors Report,” AY 2008-09.
4. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, “Licensure Rates,"2006-2008.
5. The Perryman Group, “A Tale of Two States - And One Million Jobs!!” March 2007.
6. Ibid.
7. Texas Comptroller’s Office, “Texas Works Report,” December 2008.
8. Ibid.
9. Texas Association of Community Colleges, “Academic Year 2009-10 Tax and Valuation Survey."