Here's a story that combines our look (in GOVT 2306) at both the Texas Constitution and the education in the state.
The Texas Constitution says the state will “provide for the maintenance, support and direction of a University of the first class.”
In 1984, that meant about half of every dollar in higher education came out of the state budget. Today, it’s closer to 13 percent at the University of Texas at Austin and 22 percent at Texas A&M University in College Station.
So, at that level, is the state really providing for the sort of education championed in its founding document?
The relevant part of the Constitution is Section 10 in Article 7.
Here's the text:
The legislature shall as soon as practicable establish, organize and provide for the maintenance, support and direction of a University of the first class, to be located by a vote of the people of this State, . . .
The question seems to be: Does "provide" mean state funding? Despite all the clarifying language elsewhere in the Texas Constitution, this part is up for debate.
