Texas State Technical College to operate in Guadalupe, Comal Counties

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today
Cindy Aguirre

Governor signs bill clearing the way for a new full campus

(Guadalupe County) – The future no longer has to be miles away for those looking to enroll in one of the 10 Texas State Technical Colleges in the state.

Thanks to House Bill (HB) 4997, Texas State Technical College (TSTC) will operate by right in Comal and Guadalupe counties.

That’s according to Josh Schneuker, executive director of economic development for the City of Seguin. Schneuker explains this bill that successfully passed both chambers and has now been signed by the Governor.

“So, what this bill has done, it has added Comal and Guadalupe County to Texas State Technical Colleges’ service territory. So that has both immediate and long-term implications on Seguin and our region. The most immediate impacts that it creates is that it allows for TSTC to come into Seguin, to Guadalupe County, to Comal County specifically at the Central Texas Technology Center to begin teaching different educational programming and they can now do that without having to seek permission of the existing community college that has service area judication rights over our county at the moment so this give TSTC the flexibility to immediately come in and begin providing their technical training programming without having to seek the approval of the Alamo Colleges, “ said Schneuker.

The bill, spearheaded by State Representative John Kuempel and supported by Senator Donna Campbell and Representative Carrie Isaac, was broadly supported, both locally and regionally, to include formal resolutions of support by both New Braunfels and Seguin.

Schneuker says much of the credit lies with Kuempel who played a huge role in getting this legislation passed. He says without him and the support of his staff, he doesn’t believe this bill would have passed.

Now with the governor’s approval, Schneuker says the work of what this all means will now start taking shape.

“The next step in this whole process and what this bill also allows, it allows for TSTC to potentially build a new campus or campuses somewhere in Guadalupe or Comal County and the focus of that as we’ve been working through this whole project has really been in Seguin and New Braunfels so there are still a lot of moving parts to how a new campus or campuses is going to shape out. Is it going to be one big campus in one community? Is it going to be multiple campuses that can fit the needs of both communities? We are working through that now that we have cleared this big hurdle with the passage of this legislation, so we are going to be putting our best foot forward to bring some sort of TSTC footprint here to the city of Seguin though,” said Schneuker.

Schneuker says the expansion of TSTC to our region is a huge win and one for the books for both Seguin and New Braunfels.

“It is huge news. I mean we’ve had a lot of great successes in Seguin with new companies coming in, new retail coming in but just from the potential of community impact that something like this will create, in my opinion, it is one of the biggest wins that we have. It’s not the ultimate win. That ultimate win is hopefully getting an actual brick and mortar TSTC inside the city of Seguin, but this clears the way for that and it addresses a lot of challenges that we as a community really need to address – providing more opportunities to advance educational attainment, workforce training in our city will really help accelerate further economic growth here in Seguin,” said Schneuker.

More importantly Schneuker says it’s the residents of Seguin who have landed on choices, options and the potential for a brighter future.

“It will help improve some of these underlying numbers such as these educational attainment numbers that we track and we look at – having something within our own backyard for our residents, for the folks that work here to advance their education, to go after different certifications, to advance their life with an associate’s degree. Our hope is to have that type of facility in our backyard to serve our residents and really give folks just an opportunity to really change their life through the power of education and we look forward to partnering with TSTC to bring those opportunities directly to the city of Seguin,” said Schneuker. 

Jonathan Packer, president and CEO of the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce says he applauds the leadership shown by the elected delegation on this important matter.

“Chairman Kuempel led the way by authoring the bill and through his role as chairman of the House Higher Education Committee. Senator Campbell took the lead in the Senate, ensuring that we are able to provide the technical trade training that our residents need,” said Packer.

Also celebrating the news is Mike Reeser, chancellor and CEO for TSTC. He says they are thrilled that the Texas Legislature advocated for a new campus of Texas State Technical College in the Comal/Guadalupe counties region.

“This region is fast growing and contains an enviable concentration of industrial employers who employ skilled Texans in great-paying jobs. Texans who seek such positions will find TSTC as a fast and affordable pathway toward their occupational goal,” said Reeser.

Local officials say they have already worked with TSTC to bring the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, or FAME program, to the area. The Texas FAME Lone Star chapter is a two-year program where students receive both classroom education and company-based training by a sponsoring employer. The program is expected to begin in August 2023 at the existing Central Texas Technology Center (CTTC) servicing the region.

View article on SeguinToday.com