The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees met for a work session and its regular meeting on Monday, September 14. Trustees approved the fiscal year 2026-27 property tax rate, discussed the possibility of ACC participating in Social Security, and learned how the College is keeping itself accountable to improving outcomes.
Below are highlights from the board meetings.
Institutional Effectiveness Report Card
At the work session, the College presented the Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Report Card, which includes nine institutional measures and 26 actions aligned with the Theory of Change and other key College priorities. The Report Card provides a framework for measuring impact and accountability by tracking whether the College’s collective work is improving student progress, student experience and access, and stewardship and culture, while providing the Board with ongoing visibility into institutional progress and effectiveness.
FY27 Property Tax Rate
Trustees unanimously approved the College’s fiscal year 2026-27 property tax rate of $0.103643 (10.3643 cents) per $100 of property valuation, including $0.0900 for Maintenance & Operations and $0.013643 for Debt Service. The average property tax bill will effectively decrease by about 2.2% this year. The College anticipated the flattening of property tax revenue, which was reflected in the budget approved by the Board in July.
Learn more about the FY27 property tax rate here.
Social Security Participation Overview
The Board discussed the possibility of ACC participating in Social Security after hearing from employees about the topic on several occasions.
Administration shared information from the Texas Employee Retirement System (ERS), the State’s social security administrator, detailing the options and procedures for participating in Social Security. While State of Texas agencies and most Texas public universities are in the Social Security system, only about a third of Texas community colleges and very few of Texas’ 1,200 independent school districts have joined. They noted that once an employer opts in to Social Security, they are not able to opt out.
Additionally, they discussed the costs to ACC and to the employees for the various Social Security options. ACC currently participates in the Texas Teacher Retirement System (TRS), and both ACC and employees contribute 8.25% of the employee’s gross income. For employees not eligible for TRS, such as certain adjuncts and hourly employees, ACC has a Money Purchase Plan in which the College matches 1.5% to the employee’s 6% toward their retirement plan.
Social Security will cost ACC and employees 6.2% each. Administration noted that Social Security has a minimum earnings requirement, so there will be instances where some employees will pay into Social Security without being eligible to receive the benefits.
Trustees had many questions and agreed to submit them separately to administration, who will gather answers and bring them to the Board at a later time.
New Dean of Computer Science & Information Technology
Trustees approved hiring Dr. Joshua Rock as the College’s new dean of Computer Science & Information Technology.
Rock joined ACC as a professor in 2024, teaching in the CSIT program while serving as a full-time faculty senator, Bold Representation of Achievement through Student Support (BRASS) mentor, and informal student advisor. Rock has more than a decade of academic experience teaching information technology management, mobile and web services, and data management. He has also contributed to curriculum evaluation and redesign efforts. Rock additionally has extensive industry experience.
Cypress Creek Bus Stop
The Board approved the continuation of a cost-sharing agreement for a CapMetro bus stop at ACC’s Cypress Creek Campus. Route 214 is CapMetro’s Northwest Feeder route that provides service from Lago Vista and Jonestown and the Lakeline Rail Station. Under this agreement, CapMetro provides an additional stop at ACC’s Cypress Creek Campus, connecting the campus to Lakeline Station and the broader transit network. This expense is funded by the College’s Student Sustainability Fee.
ACC Election Contracts
Additionally, Trustees approved election contracts with Bastrop, Caldwell, Lee, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties for the November 2026 General Election. ACC Board of Trustees Places 1, 2, and 3 and the annexation of Pflugerville ISD territory will be on the ballot for voters in the applicable areas of ACC’s service area.
View all agendas and recordings from the meeting here. Recordings are usually available by the first Thursday following the meeting.
Tags: Board of Trustees, Property Tax Rate
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