One after another, the dire warnings from those partisans to the continued "partnership" between UT Brownsville and the Texas Southmost College district have been falling to the wayside.
1. TSC wouldn't get over 500 students in its first year of operational independence
2. Tax rates would increase astronomically
3. Tuition would have to be raised for the institution to survive financially
On Thursday, the TSC board of trustees voted unanimously (where else is there a unanimous vote anymore?) to keep the district’s tax assessment at its current rate – $0.162935 for every $100 of taxable property.
That means that property taxes for residents in the district that includes all of Brownsville, Los Fresnos and the Point Isabel Independent School districts will be charged at the same rate as in 2012.
Because property value for the area has increased, the district will gain an additional $350,000 on top of the $17.6 million in revenue it took in last year.
TSC President Lily Tercero said that from 2005 to 2009 some $94 million in debt was accrued by then UTB-TSC President Julieta Garcia and her pliant boards of trustees that has to be paid by the district taxpayers.
The local daily reported that Tercero was quite blunt about the debt's impact on district's residents.
“We now have quite a bit of debt that this institution will be paying through 2033,” Tercero said.
“The decisions that were made were made by others, not myself,” Tercero said. “I’m sure their decisions were based on certain assumptions, certain beliefs. So, you know, things change. You never know what will happen tomorrow."
Student enrollment is now at 2,644, she said, adding that TSC now employs more than 100 people. And best of all for students, a TSC student in the Fall of 2013 will pay $1,000 less than he did when UTB-TSC operated together.
Texas Southmost College counsel Daniel Rentfro – in a letter dated Sept. 21, 2010 to TSC trustees – made his pitch to them to approve the continuance of his "historical" pact between the two institutions, citing dire consequences if they did not.
In his letter, Rentfro warned trustees than that if the partnership is dissolved, he predicted financial ruin, lower pay for college employees and higher taxes (more than double) for the district.
The "workgroup" with which Rentfro participated included the usual suspects: Provost Alan Artibise, Special Assistant to the Probost for Partnership Affairs Wayne Moore, Vice President for Financial Affairs Rosemary Martinez, and former trustee and executive director Michael Putegnat. Moore and Putegnat were "two of the architects of the original partnership agreement." Also aiding the group were trustee David Oliveira and UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia.
Now, after both entities approved the dissolution of the "partnership" and a 21st Century university and a a medical school for South Texas has been approved by the UT System and the Texas Legislature, it all seems like a bad dream. Gone are the disloyal intermediaries between TSC and the UT System, the hidden agendas of would-be empire makers, the Garcia sycophants plotting palace intrigues on her behalf.
"We're dealing directly with the UT System, not with middlemen like we were before," said a staff member close to the TSC trustees. "They know we mean business. That's the only language they understand."
TSC President Lily Tercero said that from 2005 to 2009 some $94 million in debt was accrued by then UTB-TSC President Julieta Garcia and her pliant boards of trustees that has to be paid by the district taxpayers.
The local daily reported that Tercero was quite blunt about the debt's impact on district's residents.
“We now have quite a bit of debt that this institution will be paying through 2033,” Tercero said.
“The decisions that were made were made by others, not myself,” Tercero said. “I’m sure their decisions were based on certain assumptions, certain beliefs. So, you know, things change. You never know what will happen tomorrow."
Student enrollment is now at 2,644, she said, adding that TSC now employs more than 100 people. And best of all for students, a TSC student in the Fall of 2013 will pay $1,000 less than he did when UTB-TSC operated together.
Texas Southmost College counsel Daniel Rentfro – in a letter dated Sept. 21, 2010 to TSC trustees – made his pitch to them to approve the continuance of his "historical" pact between the two institutions, citing dire consequences if they did not.
In his letter, Rentfro warned trustees than that if the partnership is dissolved, he predicted financial ruin, lower pay for college employees and higher taxes (more than double) for the district.The "workgroup" with which Rentfro participated included the usual suspects: Provost Alan Artibise, Special Assistant to the Probost for Partnership Affairs Wayne Moore, Vice President for Financial Affairs Rosemary Martinez, and former trustee and executive director Michael Putegnat. Moore and Putegnat were "two of the architects of the original partnership agreement." Also aiding the group were trustee David Oliveira and UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia.
Now, after both entities approved the dissolution of the "partnership" and a 21st Century university and a a medical school for South Texas has been approved by the UT System and the Texas Legislature, it all seems like a bad dream. Gone are the disloyal intermediaries between TSC and the UT System, the hidden agendas of would-be empire makers, the Garcia sycophants plotting palace intrigues on her behalf.
"We're dealing directly with the UT System, not with middlemen like we were before," said a staff member close to the TSC trustees. "They know we mean business. That's the only language they understand."
16 comments:
I hope TSC will be successful, but I'm afraid the picture isn't very rosy. TSC will need to greatly increase their enrollment to survive. If TSC has 'over 100 employees', at the current tuition rate (about $2000 for a full time student) that this comes to a little over $52,000 in revenue per employee. Out of this also has to come all the operating costs and higher salaries of administrators (for example Dr. Tercero)that are actually paid much higher than this average. I'm afraid TSC can't be self-sufficient and survive on the tuition of this many students.
juan guess the taxpayers are ready to pick up this 93 million in debt, oops i forgot we already have it thank you juletta garcia la queenna
A Big thank you to all TSC Trustees and expecially to Lily 3ro.
Dr. Tercero has shown a steady hand in reviving TSC and the board has been smart to support her. The old dire warnings will be proved overblown. TSC will grow and in a year or two no one will remember much of the old partnership and if they start the new UT like they say, the irony will be that TSC survived but it was UTB that disappeared. The old partnership had its good points and a lot of students got to go to a four year college because of it but it ran its course, lost its way, lost contact with the community, became out of date and has paid the price. Wasn't that inevitable since power always corrupts?
The got one thing right. RSC instructors are getting paid in the high 30's. Lower than a BISD teacher. Also, UTB already has 8500 registered students.
I would like to see reporting like this in the Brownsville Herald, but you know that will never happen, well maybe if someone buys them out, but that is not likely to happen anytime soon. I took an English composition class with Mr. Moore and he must have been going through a divorce or something 'cause
he kept bashing
women. As a teacher, well let's just say
I learned more about composition from my history teacher,
Robert Angel.
Te voy a meter la picha, juan. En el osico y en el culo. U B pissin' me off mo and mo, bro.
IG.
In just 16 days from today, Tercero will push the big green "start" button at TSC. The new school with either roar to life or sputter and fizzle. The new start of TSC has been very complex with a huge number of moving parts. Only time will tell if those parts will all sync and mesh. I feel certain there will be confusion and angst until the kinks are worked out. But, when things do start to run smoothly, Tercero will be owned a huge debt of gratitude by the voters of Cameron County and the students at TSC.
One thing is for certain, the culture at TSC is nothing like the culture at UTB and for the most part that is a good thing.
I will be there when the start button is pressed and I am hoping for and expecting the best.
TSC will survive and will be a great asset to this community as it gives students the work skills they need to be successful. Juliet Garcia failed to address the TSC side of the "partnership" and just wanted to have the tax dollars generated by TSC. As we see....Juliet left TSC $94 million in the hole....and UT System failed to pay their rent for years. TSC will make us proud, while Juliet was only interested in promoting herself....and it is unfortunate that she had so many smart people that were sucked in to her self-serving ambitions.
Your telling me the attorneys the financial advisors nor the consultants looked at this possibility ? ?
How stupid can they be ?
Sue the hell out of the attorneys, the consultants . . . . .
Not my job ...... not my job.....
Long LIVE TSC!! Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!
The taxpayers of Cameron County will long remember you Queenie, you evil mother***ker!!
Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!Long LIVE TSC!!
In the high 30s for how many classes?
May I correct myself, Robert Angel was my government instructor. He took the time to guide me into turning my "D-" draft about gun control into a "B+" paper. I learned and took those lessons which I still remember and use today. Mr.Moore was there for a paycheck. Robert Angel was there to teach.
i attended utb. i think i want a refund now.
Faculty at Community Colleges typically teach 5 classes/semester as well as doing service work (e.g., serving on College committees). Faculty at Universities generally teach fewer classes while having some expectation of research/scholarly work.
Even if TSC never graduates one student ,...There is at least one silver lining... Julie and her minions will no longer be allowed to rape the citizens of Cameron County!!
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