Report: WTC waived tuition for 214 students

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More Scurry County students are taking advantage of tuition-free college.
Britt Canada, Western Texas College’s dean of institutional research and effectiveness, reported that 214 students took advantage of the Opportunity Waiver program in 2018-19. The college waived $238,524 in tuition and fees for those students.
Since its inception in 2007, the program has helped 1,003 students and the college has waived more than $1.7 million in tuition.
The numbers are growing, the board of trustees was told during this week’s meeting.
WTC Vice President and current Snyder ISD board of trustees’ president Ralph Ramon said Snyder High School is working toward becoming an early college high school, similar to Roscoe Collegiate High School.
“A change in the administration (at Snyder ISD) has brought more attention to the dual credit programs,” WTC board president Lee Presswood said.
Hermleigh ISD is also starting to offer more dual-credit classes and recently became a district of innovation to allow students to take the classes through the college.
Trustee Tim Riggan said the college saw a 25 percent increase in the number of county students using the program in 2018-19. During the 2017-18 school year, WTC had 170 county students in the program which cost the college $217,524.
“That is money we have to write off every year and that is OK,” said Chief Financial Officer Patricia Claxton, whose daughter earned an associate’s degree at WTC through the program. “It has saved parents a lot of money.”
The college has no plans to change the program because it wants to help as many students as possible earn a degree.
“I know there are a lot of students who would not be in school today if we did not have this program,” trustee Eddie Peterson said. 
Community colleges that offer dual credit classes typically do not charge and face competition from four-year schools who now provide classes.
“School districts will go with the least expensive,” Claxton said.
The program started as a way to provide a free education to Scurry County high school graduates, but it expanded to allow dual credit students. Both high school graduates and current high school students must meet criteria to receive the free tuition, including maintaining a certain grade point average and completing community service hours.