Middle College Looking for Partners
The possible partner list for a new “middle college” being planned for East Williamson County is growing, as it may include more than one school, planners and advocates of the school said.

Polo Enriquez, executive director of the Hutto Economic Development Corporation, which is one of the four primary supporters of the project, said organizers formerly called the proposed school the Center for Advanced Research Technology, or CART, but it is now being called the East Williamson County Higher Education Center.

Enriquez said Temple College, Texas State Technical College in Waco and Tarleton State University-Central Texas in Killeen are considering partnering as schools at the facility, and Temple College's Chuck McCarter said Concordia College is also being considered.

The only college or university currently signed on to partner with the school is Temple College, McCarter said.

He said the project is still in its planning stages.

“Memorandum of agreements are currently being created that will bring academic and technological colleges to campus as well as the potential for two major universities to be participants,” McCarter wrote in a press release.

Enriquez said the school would provide a comprehensive learning environment that would help create well-trained and ready-to-work employees for area employers.

McCarter said he and his staff from Temple College began working full-time at Temple College Taylor Center Friday.

“The establishment of this office was made possible through a two-year interlocal agreement among Temple College, Hutto and Taylor economic development corporations, and the Hutto and Taylor independent school districts. This interlocal agreement provided funds needed for the establishment of this office and support staff,” McCarter stated.

Both Enriquez and McCarter said they are excited about the learning opportunities a collaborative school might bring to students. The men said employers seek employees they don't have to spend money and time to train.

“The vision for the East Williamson County Higher Education Center will be to provide cutting edge advanced manufacturing and healthcare technology training. Part of the goal for the center is to create quick and flexibly response to employer needs,” McCarter stated.

McCarter said a school such as EWCHEC may mean families save thousands of dollars they would otherwise spend on college tuition.

“The research indicates that young people and their families would recognize significant advantages in terms of savings on college tuition and increased lifetime earning from attending early college high schools, where students graduate with a high school diploma and also an associate's degree or up to two years of college credit toward a bachelor's degree,” McCarter stated.

McCarter explained that in a facility designated a middle college, students can begin taking college credit courses as early as the 10th grade if they qualify academically.

Recently, a grant application was submitted to the Texas Education Agency to establish an early college high school on the campus of the proposed school, McCarter stated. He credited Hutto Superintendent David Borrer and Taylor Superintendent Bruce Scott for work and collaboration to prepare the grant proposal.

For more information about the proposed school, contact McCarter at (254) 298-8482.