The Texarkana College Board of Trustees approved the continuation of Texarkana College’s Professional Driving Academy’s partnership with Northeast Community College.

This will continue the partnership through February 2019. Brandon Washington, TC’s Dean of Workforce and Continuing Education, said the two colleges have been collaborating to provide a first class professional driving academy for students in northeast Texas since 2015.

“Texarkana College’s Professional Driving Academy has been taught by a third-party provider, International Schools, Inc., since we began the program in 2014,” said Washington. “NTCC joined as a partner in June 2015 and this arrangement has proven to be a solid business decision for both schools.”

Washington said the partnership provides the opportunity for larger class sizes each month and helps solidify the investment made by International Schools, Inc. to provide instructors and commercial vehicles for training. NTCC students travel to the academy located at TC@TexAmericas Center to attend class and practice driving techniques. The curriculum prepares students to take the commercial driver’s license exam (CDL) and meet regulatory training requirements.

In other business, the Trustees also considered and approved an amendment to the budget to allow TC administration to move ahead with needed capital improvements to the Career Education Center Annex. President James Henry Russell said the capital improvement plan for 2017-18 was presented and approved at the October 2017 board meeting and includes replacing the HVAC equipment, overhead doors, and renovating the existing restrooms in the CEC Annex.

“The items needing immediate attention include the failing HVAC equipment in the CEC Annex and the restroom remodeling to meet ADA requirements,” said Russell. “The improvements align with our College’s belief statement, ‘Excellence in financial management, facilities/grounds, and safe and secure learning environments are non-negotiable.’”

Russell said the estimated cost of these improvements is $134,500, but $119,500 will be capitalized resulting in a net effect to the current year budget of $18,475.

The Trustees continued the meeting throughout the day by participating in a strategic planning process. President Russell presented a draft of strategic goals created through leadership, faculty, staff and student collaboration and the review of various forms of data and survey results.  Trustees discussed and prioritized these goals to provide focused measurable goals for the July 2018 - June 2020 Strategic Plan. The final Strategic Plan will be presented at a Trustees meeting later this summer.

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