Bills of particular interest to community and technical college educators have been reported favorably or left pending after two hearings Wednesday.
At an early morning meeting of the Senate Committee on Higher Education, SB 1561 and SB 1942— both by Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano)—were each replaced by "committee substitute." In practical terms, this means that various changes were agreed to by the author prior to the hearing and that the latest printed versions are not available for inspection yet. Many bills are left pending after hearings, particularly at this stage of the session, if there are matters still under discussion (and/or if a quorum of the panel is not present).
SB 1561 would require developmental education to focus on community colleges, and mandates a statewide analysis of best practices, the use of technology in the delivery of developmental education, and the optimum use of "modular" instruction. Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes has called for a "complete overhaul" of developmental education, and the bill appears to conform to his statements on the subject over the past several months.
SB 1942 would set up a program of funding for all of Texas higher education, using incentives to improve performance in degree completion, success with "at risk" students, successful transfers, and graduation rates in certain "critical fields" such as physical science, engineering, nursing, and computer science. A key remaining variable is the amount of revenue for this purpose that emerges eventually in the appropriations bill, which entails a separate process. Funding would be based on improvement over prior years at each institution.
HB 3790, by Rep. Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria), a companion to SB 1942, was reported favorably by the House Committee on Higher Education on Wednesday. Rep. Morrison is a former chair of the committee. The bill is also in "committee substitute" form.
It is not clear at this point if the House and Senate versions of the bills on incentive funding contain differences. If so, these distinctions must be resolved before final passage.
These measures are supported by the Governor's Business Council and the Texas Association of Business.
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