AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Community College (ACC) classes in Lockhart are set to get underway this week.
ACC classes in Lockhart will begin Monday, Feb. 17. The move to offer classes in the district comes after voters approved a proposition in November to allow Lockhart ISD territory to officially join the ACC district, giving residents in-district benefits.
The benefits include free tuition for high school seniors, no “out-of-district” fee and potentially the construction of a Lockhart campus.
However, the benefits come at a cost, as Lockhart ISD residents will now begin paying property taxes to ACC. Those taxes currently cost about 10 cents for every $100 of property value, totaling around $230 per year on average.
Dr. Chris Cervini, the vice chancellor of Community and Public Affairs for ACC, told KVUE in June that Lockhart joining ACC’s territory will provide more opportunities for those in Lockhart ISD.
“The Caldwell County and Lockhart community is … growing very rapidly, and they’re attracting a lot of exciting employers. But with that attracting of employers, they need to have the skills training in place to develop the workers, to be able to take on those jobs … and to enjoy that prosperity of that economic development,” Cervini said. “So if you’re somebody in Caldwell County, this is a pretty important conversation that you need to be having.”
The current cost for Lockhart students outside of the district is $286 per credit hour, but the in-district price is $85. For perspective, in-district students pay $5,100 for a two-year degree, but the same degree with out-of-district costs more than $17,000.