Higher education leaders face uphill budget battle
Posted: 10:00 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
STATESMAN CAPITOL WATCH
American-Statesman Staff
Higher education leaders in Texas were hoping to recover considerable ground in the legislative session that began last week following cuts two years ago of nearly $1 billion in state funding.
They’re still expressing optimism, but they could face an uphill battle based on the 2014-15 budgets proposed in the state House and Senate. Under those bills, spending would decline again, albeit by much less.
The House bill would trim state funding for the two-year higher education budget to $14.8 billion from the $15.1 billion allocated for the current biennium, according to Legislative Budget Board documents. The Senate budget would cut spending to $14.9 billion.
Student financial aid spending would total $935.3 million for the biennium under the House and Senate bills. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board had requested $1.1 billion for financial aid.
The Texas Grant program, the state’s main aid program, would receive $559.5 million, more than half of the aid outlay, under the bills. That’s the same amount that was appropriated for the current budget, although actual spending was $20 million higher thanks to a donation.
The state would be able to serve all returning students eligible for a Texas Grant under the current proposals. But fewer than 1 in 5 new, eligible students would get a grant based on the coordinating board’s preliminary estimates, said agency spokesman Dominic Chavez. The number of financially needy students is growing, he said.
“We will be asking for $128 million in additional funding for Texas Grants,” Chavez said. “That’ll be a very high priority, if not the highest priority, as we get into formal budget discussions.”
The University of Texas at Austin would see its funding from the state increase by $15.2 million to $722.9 million under the Senate budget. The House budget would provide $717.9 million. The university had requested as much as $755.1 million.
Separately, UT is asking the Legislature to authorize construction bonds, including $95 million to help pay for a new engineering building. Legislators are expected to consider public universities’ requests for construction and renovation bonds later in the session.
“It’s too early to speculate on what the final budget will look like and how it will affect the university,” said UT spokesman Gary Susswein. “We are confident lawmakers understand the importance to the state’s citizens and economy of fully funding higher education.”
Texas State University also would receive more state money under the House and Senate budgets but, like UT, not as much as it requested. The House bill would boost the school’s two-year allocation by $10.4 million, to $266.8 million. The Senate version would chip in more, for a total of $268.6 million. Texas State had requested as much as $300.9 million.
Austin Community College’s state funding would decline by $4.7 million to $91.4 million under the House and Senate versions. The college requested $87 million.
Rey García, president of the Texas Association of Community Colleges, said one shouldn’t take the requested amount as a reflection of the college’s needs because legislative leaders instructed schools to budget 5 percent less than they received for 2012-13. The 2012-13 budget didn’t fund enrollment growth of about 20 percent, he said. And although enrollment has dipped since then, it’s still the case that growth of 15 percent remains unfunded, he added.
“We take Sen. Williams, Gov. Dewhurst and Rep. Pitts at their word that this is just a starting point, and it’s up to us to make our case to restore some of the funding cuts and help address some of our critical needs,” García said. He was referring to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, expected to be named House appropriations chairman.
García said his association would begin to make its case on behalf of the state’s 50 community college districts at a Senate hearing next week. “Our total request will be just shy of $2 billion, about a $250 million increase over last time,” he said.
They’re still expressing optimism, but they could face an uphill battle based on the 2014-15 budgets proposed in the state House and Senate. Under those bills, spending would decline again, albeit by much less.
The House bill would trim state funding for the two-year higher education budget to $14.8 billion from the $15.1 billion allocated for the current biennium, according to Legislative Budget Board documents. The Senate budget would cut spending to $14.9 billion.
Student financial aid spending would total $935.3 million for the biennium under the House and Senate bills. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board had requested $1.1 billion for financial aid.
The Texas Grant program, the state’s main aid program, would receive $559.5 million, more than half of the aid outlay, under the bills. That’s the same amount that was appropriated for the current budget, although actual spending was $20 million higher thanks to a donation.
The state would be able to serve all returning students eligible for a Texas Grant under the current proposals. But fewer than 1 in 5 new, eligible students would get a grant based on the coordinating board’s preliminary estimates, said agency spokesman Dominic Chavez. The number of financially needy students is growing, he said.
“We will be asking for $128 million in additional funding for Texas Grants,” Chavez said. “That’ll be a very high priority, if not the highest priority, as we get into formal budget discussions.”
The University of Texas at Austin would see its funding from the state increase by $15.2 million to $722.9 million under the Senate budget. The House budget would provide $717.9 million. The university had requested as much as $755.1 million.
Separately, UT is asking the Legislature to authorize construction bonds, including $95 million to help pay for a new engineering building. Legislators are expected to consider public universities’ requests for construction and renovation bonds later in the session.
“It’s too early to speculate on what the final budget will look like and how it will affect the university,” said UT spokesman Gary Susswein. “We are confident lawmakers understand the importance to the state’s citizens and economy of fully funding higher education.”
Texas State University also would receive more state money under the House and Senate budgets but, like UT, not as much as it requested. The House bill would boost the school’s two-year allocation by $10.4 million, to $266.8 million. The Senate version would chip in more, for a total of $268.6 million. Texas State had requested as much as $300.9 million.
Austin Community College’s state funding would decline by $4.7 million to $91.4 million under the House and Senate versions. The college requested $87 million.
Rey García, president of the Texas Association of Community Colleges, said one shouldn’t take the requested amount as a reflection of the college’s needs because legislative leaders instructed schools to budget 5 percent less than they received for 2012-13. The 2012-13 budget didn’t fund enrollment growth of about 20 percent, he said. And although enrollment has dipped since then, it’s still the case that growth of 15 percent remains unfunded, he added.
“We take Sen. Williams, Gov. Dewhurst and Rep. Pitts at their word that this is just a starting point, and it’s up to us to make our case to restore some of the funding cuts and help address some of our critical needs,” García said. He was referring to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, expected to be named House appropriations chairman.
García said his association would begin to make its case on behalf of the state’s 50 community college districts at a Senate hearing next week. “Our total request will be just shy of $2 billion, about a $250 million increase over last time,” he said.
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