Wharton County Junior College has secured $5 million in state appropriations for its Bay City Trade School. A variety of construction trades courses are taught at the location.
WHARTON, TEXAS – Wharton County Junior College has secured $9 million in state appropriations for its Bay City Trade School and Nuclear Power Technology Program.
“It’s wonderful news,” said WCJC President Betty McCrohan. “These allocations will enable us to expand our course offerings and facilities in order to meet crucial needs in our service area and across the state.”
WCJC submitted two requests to the 89th Texas Legislature’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The first was for a proposed expansion of health professions training at the Richmond campus while the second was for the expansion of the Bay City campus Trade School. Only the Bay City request — $2.5 million a year for a two-year period — was approved. The $5 million allocation will enable the college to expand its new Construction Trades program and Trade School, housed at the college’s Bay City campus.
“The board is very grateful for the confidence shown by the Governor and the Legislature in the college’s vocational programs in Matagorda County,” said WCJC Board of Trustees Chair J. Paul Pope. “Thanks to our established track record and the great support of the Matagorda community, this is the second consecutive session in which substantial funds have been provided directly to these programs.”
The college will also receive an additional $4 million allocation to help it satisfy the Nuclear Expansion in Texas (NExT) initiative, an integrated approach aimed at addressing the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ November 2024 report, “Deploying a World Renowned Advanced Nuclear Industry in Texas.” The report identified the need for skilled nuclear engineers and technicians to meet growing workforce demands within the state. WCJC was one of only three public institutions of higher learning to be highlighted in the report.
The college had requested $4 million over the next biennium to meet the NExT initiatives.
“The nuclear funding is part of a broader initiative to take Texas to the next level in nuclear energy. Doing this will require more nuclear process technicians like the college already trains at the Bay City campus,” Pope said. “I’d like to give a special thanks to Wharton County Judge Phillip Spenrath and Dr. Lee Peddicord of Texas A&M for their help in securing this funding and for our partners at STP for their long-standing support.”
WCJC has maintained a long-standing partnership with Texas A&M University on developing curriculum and protocols for the nuclear program.
The NExT program initiatives include the following enhancements of the WCJC Nuclear Technology program:
Pope further thanked state legislators with providing crucial support of the college’s ongoing efforts to expand programs at the Bay City campus.
“I also want to thank State Sen. Joan Huffman, State Rep. Stan Kitzman and other members of the legislature and community for their support to the broader vocational training efforts in Matagorda County,” Pope said. “We are looking forward to taking our programs in Matagorda to new levels of output and excellence in the next few years.”
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