Austin Community College

ACC’s Make It Center aims to give people of all ages the chance to have hands-on experiences with a variety of fields, from manufacturing to health care. It’s set to open to the public this fall.

The 10-story highrise in Oak Hill was intended to be an office tower, but then the economy tanked and it was sold to the college.

The measure will allow the board of trustees to issue a $770 million bond to expand programs and facilities at its 11 existing campuses and build two more campuses.

If approved, the bond would add two new campuses to South Austin and expand workforce development programs.

The Austin Community College Student Government Association surveyed more than 500 students about their living situations. The group found most struggled to afford rent and a handful were experiencing homelessness.

Activists and educators say President Biden’s decision to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt will have a big impact. But, they said, there’s still more to do.

In Texas, where the hourly minimum wage is $7.25, a student who has children would need to work as much as 64 hours per week to afford college and child care expenses, according to a new report.

The ACC board approved a budget on Monday that includes nearly $21 million to pay employees. During the last fiscal year, the college spent about $11 million on its compensation package.

The board of trustees is meeting to vote on the 2022-2023 budget. It includes a compensation package that seeks to give employees significant raises, but some say the proposal does not go far enough.

The community college system says it does not have the funding to offer 10% raises to all employees. Instead, ACC is proposing either a 5% or $5,000 salary increase depending on which is greater for each individual.