The Senate Finance Committee met on Jan. 7 to receive reports from a number of interim subcommittees, leading up to the Regular Session, which convenes on the 13th.
The chair of the committee, Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) laid out the report of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, chaired by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), who could not attend.
Sen. Ogden summarized the nine recommendations on funding as a call for a more "rational structure of governance" for higher education, with the explicit understanding that there are "huge political obstacles to overcome." Specific recommendations concern student aid, tuition reform, greater scrutiny of school bond issue authorities, a set-aside fund for maintenance and repairs, enhanced funding for research, additional merit-based funding for economically-disadvantaged students, and strengthening of work-study programs. Many of these recommendations affect universities, and contain nothing especially surprising for community and technical colleges.
However, one recommendation Sen. Ogden highlighted as particularly significant would change the funding structure to reward schools based on those who complete courses rather than those enrolled. As reported earlier, this is consistent with prior recommendations of Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes and the Coordinating Board. The subcommittee recommends limiting the amount of funding based on college completions to ten percent. The proposal would affect both community colleges and universities.
The TCCTA Legislative Program is available here.
The "Talking Points" on Peformance Funding are available here, along with other useful information.
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