HOUSTON – Four community colleges across the state could be shut down as part of proposed budget cuts. That includes Brazosport College in the Lake Jackson area. Longtime school president, Dr. Millicent Valek, was shocked by the news.
“Community colleges are the most affordable access to higher ed for Texans. So, it makes no sense to talk about the value of education and then cut your most efficient means for delivering it in a recession,” Dr. Valek said.
Shutting down the four community colleges would equal nearly $40 million in savings, but Dr. Valek says the savings would not be worth it in the long run. Brazosport College is more than an option for an Associate’s degree. It also trains hundreds of workers in the nuclear and petrochemical industries: Many of which are located nearby.
“We’re supporting industries that are hiring and that’s a rare thing to say these days,” Dr. Valek said.
Closing down this campus means 400 jobs would be lost. That includes the construction crews working on three major projects on campus right now. That translates into a major impact on the Lake Jackson area. It also affects the 4,000 students who chose this school because it’s cheaper, closer to home and has smaller class sizes.
Candace Calvillo is studying to be a teacher at Brazosport College. She wasn’t ready to go it alone at a big four-year university. She also realizes that the school is a great option for older students.
“A lot of our working parents that have kids, their only option to get an education and to better their lifestyle and better their family income is to come to a community college and Brazosport College is the closest for a lot of certain families,” Calvillo said.
Eric Williams also needed to ease into the transition from high school to college. The science student has matured a lot while at Brazosport.
“We have a building that Dow just built us and stuff like that. They send their students over here to become workers over there at Dow,” Williams said. “To me, that would be too much of a loss and personally I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
That’s what the school hopes, but Dr. Valek says in her 15 years leading the college; she’s never seen a process unfold like this. She has been in touch with local lawmakers to figure out the next step. But, it seems those lawmakers were just as caught off guard by the proposed cuts.
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