Even with a record surplus of more than $33 billion in state coffers, additional funding for public schools and teacher pay fell victim to being too close to the war over school vouchers that Gov. Greg Abbott waged over the course of the regular session and each additional special session. But somehow, not all the news regarding public education in Texas was bad coming out of 2023.
House Bill 8, signed into law by Abbott in June, is a $683-million section of the state budget that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board called “an innovative new model to fund community colleges in Texas.” Authored by Republican Rep. Gary VanDeaver of New Boston, the bill was passed nearly unanimously.
One of the major bullet points in HB 8 is the amount of money community colleges receive while also linking future state funding amounts for a school to successful student outcomes. Austin Community College will decide soon on how it will use the increased amount of money. According to The Texas Tribune, the heavily-attended school may decide to waive tuition for this year’s graduating high-school seniors, through 2027.
“ACC’s Board of Trustees will vote on the proposal in April,” the report said. “If the proposal passes, the school would use the $6.8 million it received this year through House Bill 8.”
We asked Collin College, Dallas College and Tarrant County College officials whether they were considering a similar program with the funds provided by HB 8. Reps from Dallas College and Tarrant County College said they were not doing so; we did not receive a reply from Collin College.
“Dallas College invests over $20 million annually in dual credit programs offering tuition waivers to the students we serve." – Dr. Tiffany Kirksey, Dallas College
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“Given the significant contribution of the college to make collegiate opportunities accessible to Dallas County high school students, there is not a need for a ‘separate’ program for graduating seniors,” said a Dallas College rep in an email to the Observer.
Similar to its North Texas counterpart, Tarrant County College pointed to what it has already been doing to serve incoming students since before HB 8, including waiving tuition for all dual-credit students.
“Educational affordability, accessibility and opportunity are top priorities. We’re also expanding scholarships and investing earnings from the lease of mineral rights into financial support for graduating high school seniors,” a Tarrant County College rep told the Observer. “We’ve opted into the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s FAST Program and the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program and are focused on their successful implementation.”
But let’s go back to what we heard from Dallas College. What “significant contribution” are they speaking of?
According to Dr. Tiffany Kirksey, vice provost, educational partnerships, the work of helping local students get into their college through a range of financial assistance is nothing new.
“Dallas College invests over $20 million annually in dual credit programs offering tuition waivers to the students we serve,” Kirksey said in the email. “In addition, the college provides nearly 30,000 high school students access to higher education through tuition scholarships. This is done in partnership with 18 independent school districts, at more than 150 high school locations. As the largest provider of early college high school and Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) programs in Texas, we consistently work to give high school students access to higher education.”
Traditional dual-credit programs and scholarships to get a student into school is one thing, but Kirksey said that her system puts emphasis on what comes after enrollment.
“Also, high school students have access to Dallas College Promise after high school graduation. This program also removes tuition and financial barriers that could impact student access to higher education," she said. “We have dedicated success coaches and staff who work exclusively with our capable faculty to support all elements of the high school student learning experience.”
