Ozarks Technical Community College pledged Monday to build a Texas County campus if residents OK a ballot measure later this year.
One of 20 fastest growing community colleges in the nation and tops in Missouri, OTC leaders outlined their plans during a meeting at the Texas County Justice Center.
If approved by voters, the measure would allow Texas County school districts to join the Ozarks Technical Community College District, which would open up new educational opportunities and lower classroom tuition for residents. OTC now offers classes in 16 Ozarks communities in six counties. It is headquartered in Springfield.
“We’re not here to sell you, but we’re here if you need us,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, who oversees an institution whose enrollment has swelled to more than 13,000.
The college’s nearest campuses to Texas County are at Lebanon and Waynesville. A new campus is planned at Hollister, where residents approved the measure with 71 percent of the vote.
If placed on the ballot by county school boards and approved by voters, proceeds from a 15-cent per $100 assessed valuation would retire bonds used for the construction of the county campus. For someone owning a $100,000 house that translates into about $29 annually. The median home value in the county is $61,000. (Similar small taxes support the county library system and health department).
Texas County students would then qualify for reduced in-district tuition rates – $31 less per credit hour compared to out-district students. A student earning an associate’s degree would save about $2,600, Higdon estimates. Texas County students already attend OTC. Figures show there were 232 students from fall 2007 to 2010 who attended classes at Springfield, Ozark, Branson, Lebanon, Waynesville or online.
School officials said in addition to educational opportunities, other benefits would also develop:
–78 percent of OTC’s operating expenses are spent within its service area to purchase supplies and pay salaries, wages and benefits.
–For every $1 appropriated, OTC’s spending generates $1.45 in earnings within the district.
–The campus would employ more than 50 workers, not counting the many construction jobs to build it.
–About 72 percent of 2007-’08 career/technical program graduates have jobs within 180 days of graduation.
Higdon said the OTC model is a simple one that doesn’t conflict with existing higher institutions in the region. At Lebanon, three share the same quarters. It provides several advantages: Targeting non-traditional students, costs that are half of some institutions, inclusion in the state’s A+ program that pays two years of tuition for those following a high school course program and allows students to stay at home to gain an education and later earn wages allowing them to stay in their hometown.
Higdon said community colleges also provide benefits for older residents who want to learn a skill or engage in personal growth, who desire to have well-trained workers to help with their healthcare needs and want to maintain property values for their heirs.
Dr. Shirley Lawler, vice president of academic and student affairs, said OTC’s tailored technical education programs also pay dividends for employers who can develop accredited courses – ranging from welding to culinary arts – to improve their workforces. Advisory committees meet to guide education needs.
“The whole technical program is based on what you as a community need,” said Higdon.
Those specialized courses also pay dividends in recruiting jobs to the region, said Ron Reed, the City of Houston’s economic development director. Companies looking for sites now expect the resources of a community college to help train their workforces.
“This levels the playing field,” Reed said. “It’s another step to getting more better paying jobs.”
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The whole technical program is based on what you as a communityneed.”