WC NEWS

The Weatherford College Board of Trustees proposed keeping the property tax rate flat at 10.6087 cents per $100 of taxable value for the 2025 fiscal year at their board meeting on Thursday.  

 This marks the third consecutive year the college has proposed the same rate. Over the last nine years, the board has either lowered the tax rate or held it flat eight times.  

The proposed rate is expected to increase funding from Parker County taxpayers by 4.585 percent. This increase is a direct result of rising property appraisal values, which are determined by the Parker County Appraisal District, not the college’s tax rate. Tuition and fees will also remain unchanged for the academic year, following a freeze by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.  

A public tax hearing on the proposed rate will be held on Thursday, August 21, at 12:30 p.m. in the community room of the Emerging Technologies and Workforce Building. The board will vote on the 2025-26 budget and the proposed tax rate immediately following the hearing.  

In other business, the board:   

• Approved the minutes from the July 10 meeting.   

• Approved the financial reports ending July 31.   

• Approved a TASB policy update.  

• Approved the addition of a women’s cross-country team in the 2026-27 academic year.  

•  Approved a TIPS cooperative contract proposal from Master’s Transportation for a 27-passenger bus for the athletic department.  

• Approved the disposal of obsolete and surplus items through e-waste recycling and online auction.  

•  Approved the determination of prevailing wage on construction projects for fiscal year 2025-26.  

•  Approved updates to the 2025-26 board meeting dates.  

•  Received written reports from Wise County, academics and student services.   

•  Listened to a presentation by Dr. Shannon Ydoyaga, executive vice president of academic services, highlighting academic successes from the previous year. The report can be viewed here.  

In his president’s report, Dr. Tod Allen Farmer:   

• Congratulated board trustee Tom Vick on his admission to the 2025 State Bar of Texas Family Law Section Hall of Legends.  

• Expressed thanks to the students, faculty, staff and community members who recently volunteered to assist the flood victims in Central Texas.  

• Announced a year-to-date giving increase of 40.5 percent to the Weatherford College Foundation, as well as the launch of the WC Patrons of the Arts Society.  

• Announced the recent naming of head volleyball coach Kailee May as the new assistant director of athletics and the promotion of Jud Kinzy to head baseball coach.  

• Announced the retirement of Dave Frederick, welding instructor, and the resignation of Sunni Cannon, workforce health professions coordinator.  

•  Provided an enrollment update indicating a 32.8 percent enrollment increase as of July 29 compared to the same day last year. These figures do not include the non-credit workforce programs and continuing education students, which will be reported later this fall.