According to the most recent update by the Texas Community College Teacher's Association, these are the top legislative issues for community colleges:
- Employee health insurance: specifically the amount that the state picks up. Budget hawks want it cut, employees don't
- The level of state funding: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sets a recommended level of funding, which the state never comes close to meeting. Not meeting the full level of funding means that property taxes and student tuition pay the rest, which some argue is appropriate, but others say prices student's out of college. The governor had recommended fully funding community colleges, but support still exists for funding them at a lower level.
- A trial project whereby three community colleges had been authorized to provide 4 year degree has been judged a success leading some to believe that these program could be expanded.
- Nebulous, in my mind at least, proposals for streamlining secondary, community colleges, and universities continue to be floated around. Many of these are couched in the "Closing the Gaps" initiative designed to lessen the achievement gap between students of different ethnic groups.
- The high costs of textbooks is being addressed in a variety of bills. Some attempt to limit the frequency of the new editions offered, and the tendency of textbooks to be bundled with additional superfluous material. A move seems underway to persuade instructors to use open source material, freely available on the web as text material.
Click here for a full list of the bills tracked by TCCTA.
