After certifying that incumbents Drew Bullard and Mike McWilliams were the only candidates to file for May’s board election, Scurry County Junior College District (Western Texas College) trustees canceled the May election.
Trustees also approved renewal of the college’s faculty and coaches for the 2020-2021 school year.
“Everyone that has been on the list last year is on this year,” President Dr. Barbara Beebe said. “We had one faculty member that has taken a position back at her home in the Midwest, and won’t be coming back. Everyone else is staying.”
The board also approved the school calendar for the 2021-2022 school year.
“The 2021-2022 calendar almost mimics the ’20-’21 calendar,” Dean of Instructional Affairs Stephanie Ducheneaux said. “We didn’t make any significant changes. The only thing we tweaked a little bit was the summer schedule. We tried to make the starting and ending a little more conducive for students in those short terms so that we’re open when everything drops.”
The college board also approved two bids on tax deeds in the City of Snyder, one in 100 block of 33rd Street for $60 and the other on U.S. Hwy. 180 for $2,001.
The board also approved a change to the college’s tax abatement contract between WTC and Canyon Wind Farm LLC.
The only change to the contract was to correct an error in which Canyon Wind Farm was identified as a “Texas limited liability company.” It is a Delaware limited liability company.
“All they’re saying is, the lawyers said it was too much information, and it needed to be simplified to make it clear of exactly what was changed compared to the one we did several years ago,” Chief Financial Officer Patricia Claxton said.
Ducheneaux also updated trustees with how the online-only classes are working. While professors were generally familiar with the process, WTC’s students have been experiencing a learning curve with the online process.
“The struggle we’re having is getting these students who were in these face-to-face classes learning how the online environment works,” she said.
“It’s a struggle with everybody. I’ve been on a hundred conference calls and everyone says the same thing: Trying to get these kids to communicate and be a part of the class is tough.”