SW Texas College looks to Cotulla for new campus

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“Great opportunity for our community…”

Vocational, technical skills training and professional licensing for La Salle County residents may become reality at a local college campus as early as 2028 if a percentage of registered voters agree to sign a petition authorizing a cooperative project between their government and Southwest Texas College.

The project will require a form of annexation into the reach of the Uvalde-based college (formerly known as Southwest Texas State Junior College), creating a satellite campus as part of the college district.

Higher education courses for local high school graduates will be free of charge or greatly reduced at the new campus in Cotulla. Cost estimates indicate a student enrolled at the new college may save at least $1,000 for a 12-credit semester.

The district annexation will require an annual fee levied from all homeowners in La Salle County in addition to current property taxes.

The cost estimate to local homeowners, according to SW Texas College President Hector Gonzales this week, is based on the value of an average family home in La Salle County at 12 cents per $100 of appraised value. Higher-value properties, he told county commissioners on Monday, may pay a greater amount.

The owner of an $80,000 home, by the college’s calculation, would contribute approximately $96 per year or $8 per month.

Gonzales demonstrated an artist’s rendition of the proposed campus with a 20,000-square foot building, showing facilities for welding, air conditioning, construction science, power line technology and truck driving education, and said a future option may include law enforcement training.

Real estate for the proposed campus has yet to be identified, although county government representatives have indicated that a disused energy industry structure west of IH-35 may be chosen as the foundation for the new development.

“This is a great opportunity for our community,” La Salle County Judge Leodoro Martinez III said of the proposal, adding that he believes large numbers of local students and adults will take an interest in training for licenses in skills that will provide lucrative careers. He asked Gonzales to green-light more than one town hall meeting to apprise the community of the new higher education prospects.

In order to be considered for annexation into the college district, a mere five percent of the county’s registered voter signatures will be required on a petition that will be submitted to the college board, Gonzales said, and will be due by a May 21 meeting.

With an estimated population just shy of 7,000, Gonzales said, La Salle County will need to produce only 350 signatures on the petition.

“La Salle County stands at a pivotal moment,” the college president’s presentation and handout to county commissioners read. “A stable workforce, high poverty rates, and limited access to postsecondary credentials create urgency and opportunity for strategic investment.”

The college has projected that its new Cotulla campus would cost between four and seven million dollars to complete, could provide more than a dozen jobs, and offer a wide range of dual-credit, workforce certifications, and adult education programs.

“Annexation ensures that La Salle County students and employers have the tools to compete and thrive within Texas’ growing economy,” Gonzales’ presentation read. “This investment represents the first phase of a long-term strategy to strengthen educational pathways and expand economic opportunity within La Salle County.”

Commissioners learned on Monday that Dimmit County is being offered a similar opportunity for a college satellite campus but were reassured that the application process is not a competitive one.

Both Cotulla and Dilley ISD’s will be included in the opportunities offers, according to the college president. Pearsall’s satellite campus – a branch of Southwest Texas College – is entirely for academic courses and uses classroom space leased from the school district.

Gonzales reiterated that he believes La Salle County is well positioned “to benefit from expanded local credential and workforce training pathways” after portraying county demographics that indicate the poverty rate among the total population stands at 22 percent and at 23.4 percent for children.

The college’s demographic study also shows that the county’s median age is three years higher than the Texas average of 35.5 years and nearly 55 percent of La Salle’s population is of working age.

“Half of La Salle County graduates complete dual credit, but very few continue to an associate degree,” the SW Texas College president’s presentation read, further promoting the district annexation. “Workforce certificate completions have declined in recent years. Annexation can reverse this trend.”

The college has completed a study of education trends among La Salle County students and found that nearly a third of those enrolling in higher education have chosen a technical field while more than half choose academics. Thirteen percent, Gonzales said, seek out a combination of both technical and academic courses after high school.

The petition that will be circulated in La Salle County during the next three weeks requires voters to include their name, address, and voter registration number.

The county’s decision to launch the petition and an accompanying proclamation that identifies La Salle as eligible for annexation into the college district was unanimous on a motion by Comm. Raul Ayala, seconded by Comm. Noel Niaves.