Baker said discussions for nearly two years have taken place between college officials and local school, government, business and civic leaders about opening a branch campus in Mineral Wells.
“I think we all agree that long term Fort Wolters is not the answer,” Baker said, referring to Weatherford College’s Mineral Wells Campus, which he said the main building is “one HVAC hiccup from becoming a major expense.”
“We would like to see something in town, closer to students, more visible, better facilities, more convenient for Mineral Wells High School students, etc.,” Baker said. “Those are some of the things we are discussing right now and we would love to see something like that develop. There are a lot of different options. Nothing has been decided and I think it is up to the community to decide how to make that happen.”
One option would be an election to let Palo Pinto County voters decide whether to join Parker County in becoming part of the college district.
“That would allow us to spread the expenses across the two counties and would give us the flexibility to spend some dollars in Palo Pinto County, something in town, or maybe multiple facilities in Palo Pinto County,” said Baker.
The college district levies a 12 percent tax rate per $100 valuation. By becoming a member of the district, Palo Pinto County residents taking classes would pay in-district tuition rates, saving students and hundreds of dollars in costs. Baker suggested if Palo Pinto County were to become part of the district the tax rate could drop some.
In talks with local leaders involved in the discussions, there would be certain expectations and agreements regarding to construction of a campus in Mineral Wells and what kind of representation there would be on the board of trustees. Baker said there could possibly be a satellite facility established in another part of the county, such as the Possum Kingdom Lake area to serve students and residents in that area.
Those are details that still must be ironed out, Baker said. For instance, while all WC trustee members are elected at large, the seats could be changed to allow four wards or districts with representatives elected to those positions. Whether Palo Pinto County would have one or two representatives is another question.
It was only last year that Wise County gained a seat at the college’s trustees table after its County Judge J.D. Clark successfully lobbied for representation. Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, sponsored and passed a bill giving Wise County the right to elect one official to represent its campus and citizens.
Wise County voters had previously opted not to become part of the college district, electing instead to levy a 5-cent maintenance tax to build a 100,000-square-foot campus located between Decatur and Bridgeport. The tuition rate for Wise County residents is between the college’s in-district and out-of-district rates.
“It’s a beautiful showplace,” Baker said of the Wise County campus. “That’s another way to do it.”
Granbury ISD and the City of Granbury donated land and buildings to establish a branch campus in Hood County. Hood County residents are not taxed, do not have board representation and students there pay a discounted out-of-district tuition rate.
“That has worked out really well. That is one option,” said Baker.
Weatherford College’s offering in Mineral Wells are Cosmetology, Physical Therapy Assistant and Occupational Therapy Assistant, its truck driving school, Computer-Aided Design and Mechanical classes, HVAC (heating and air-conditioning) classes and welding academy classes.
“If it wasn’t for our physical therapy and occupational therapy and truck driving and welding school we wouldn’t have a whole lot going on at the Mineral Wells campus and I think a lot of that is the location,” said Baker. “We have had several great meetings. About a year and a half ago we started having meetings with city, county and ISD leaders. We started talking about where is this going, with this college and this community.”
Weatherford College also provides dual credit classes for high school students. Baker noted that Mineral Wells High School currently has 165 dual-credit enrollments, and Mineral Wells ISD is allowing all high school students to take dual-credit classes with an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree upon completing high school.
“We have a great partnership with Mineral Wells High School,” Baker said.
Weatherford College in the fall registered a total of 6,357 students, a 13 percent increase over its Fall 2016 registration total. It was the first time Weatherford College exceeded 6,000 enrolled students and made it the second-fastest growing community college in Texas.
Mineral Wells High School provides WC with the fifth most students of all high schools – the top four are all in Parker County. There were 48 Mineral Wells High School Class of 2017 students who enrolled at Weatherford College, which in 2019 will mark its 150th year.
Baker shared some other statistics at Wednesday’s meeting:
• Of the college’s student enrollment, 62 percent are female.
• The average age of a WC student is 22.3 years.
• Thirty-three percent of WC students take online classes.
• Twenty-six percent of students are dual-credit students.
“We have a great relationship with the schools and the community,” said Baker. “One of our issues is our location. It is not really conducive to someone coming off the street and wanting to go to college. You have a beautiful high school in Mineral Wells. Millsap has a new high school. When you come out of that facility students expect to at be at least at the same level of facility and not go backwards.”
He said the current Weatherford campus was built in 1969 and was not upgraded or expanded until a few years ago when the college used $20 million it had saved to build two new buildings and refurbish the others.
“We have something to be proud of,” said Baker. “We’d love to have that in Mineral Wells some day. Your students deserve it.”
The college is continuing its search for a permanent president, a position Baker is not seeking. He will return to his role as vice president of Institutional Advancement once a new president is hired.
He said once a new president is in place, which could occur by late spring or early summer, he believes the ball will again get rolling on discussions about the college and Palo Pinto County.
“When our new president comes they will not be starting from scratch because from people from Palo Pinto County have been churning these thoughts for over a year, and I think we are going to want to hit the ground running and do something for Mineral Wells,” said Baker. “I am excited about it because of the way I feel about this community. I think it will be good. When you are trying to attract business here you can tell them, ‘Hey, we have something right here in town where you can train your workers. Where your kids can go to school. I think it is a good thing.”
Baker said when that happens is something local leaders and citizens have to decide.
“That’s really up to Palo Pinto County,” he said. “I think it’s a Palo Pinto County election if it ever does happen. I have heard you could do it as early as next year if you wanted to or study it more and wait. It really depends on the temperature of the community.”