After the Texas Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education covered Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, combating antisemitism on Texas college campuses, and campus free speech in its May 2024 interim hearing, advocates were expecting the committee to take up the rest of its interim charges – including the second wave recently issued by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick – in the subcommittee’s hearing held on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
However, the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education only covered three interim charges in its hearing earlier this week: community college funding, innovation and technology in higher education, and core curriculum course accessibility.
Community College Funding
Community colleges play an extremely important role in our public education system, providing high-quality workforce training and preparation to many students while serving as a springboard to four-year universities for others. In fact, Texas community colleges enroll 43% of all postsecondary students in the state, and 69% of all bachelor’s degree graduates had some transfer credits from a two-year college in fiscal year 2021.
Last legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 8, which enacted a new community college funding model based on the recommendations of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance. While witnesses testified that the significant additional funding provided to community colleges has been very useful for lowering tuition and expanding access, additional support may soon be needed to fully fund our community colleges under the state’s new outcomes-based funding formula.
Dr. David Albert, president of Austin Community College (ACC) AFT, submitted testimony in which he shared his gratitude that the additional funding ACC received under HB 8 has enabled the community college district to launch a free tuition pilot; but Albert warned about the perverse incentive that outcomes-based funding might create for institutions to treat students as numbers. In order to game the system, which provides additional funding for students earning “credentials of value” and those in high-demand fields, institutions could manipulate students into pursuing courses of study that generate more revenue for the community college and weaken graduation requirements and academic rigor to artificially stimulate their graduation numbers. Instead, Albert testified that the state should fully fund community colleges so they can provide a high-quality education to all students, regardless of what they choose to study, and provide support for community colleges seeking to provide free tuition, a powerful means of expanding access to higher education.
In the discussion about HB 8, witnesses also updated the subcommittee on the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program, a new financial aid program that allows “educationally disadvantaged” students to enroll in dual-credit classes at no cost. The number of dual-credit students in Texas is large and rapidly growing under HB 8, now representing 28% of the state’s community college students. While the expansion of access to higher education for students is an important goal worth pursuing, it is crucial that students are provided a high-quality education in a safe, secure environment that is conducive to learning.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Texas AFT-AAUP has heard from many higher education professionals who have reported struggling with managing students’ behavior issues, engaging students who are not academically prepared to take college-level courses, and teaching classes with high proportions of dual-credit students. Some growing pains are to be expected, but there is clearly a need for greater institutional support for educators and improved program design.
Innovation and Technology in Higher Education
Witnesses who testified about innovation and technology in higher education focused on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and professional development. While generative AI tools have already been disruptive – in both negative and positive ways – to higher education, the state is attempting to be proactive in preparing educators and students to realize the greatest benefits from the use of this technology while minimizing the potential for negative consequences. In terms of state regulation, we are still in the early days, though select committees have been formed in the Texas Legislature to engage with stakeholders about the impact of generative AI on their work and explore the need for potential legislation.
For now, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is focusing on stakeholder engagement and professional development. The THECB’s Digital Learning Division is facilitating a collaborative effort, led by educators, to create a “clearinghouse that seeks to unite stakeholders from across Texas under one common goal: to make digital learning solutions accessible to everyone.” The THECB has created a website called Digital Learning TX, which features information about how educators can contribute to the state’s initiatives, collaborate with their peers across the state, and join upcoming professional learning opportunities.
Core Curriculum Course Accessibility
Finally, the committee heard testimony on core curriculum course accessibility. The invited witnesses testified about their institutions’ efforts to expand access to core curriculum courses by opening new campuses and providing virtual options, while ensuring that in-person instruction is available.
The Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education has not held an interim committee hearing on its charges related to faculty senates, tenure, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) academic programs, which are likely to lay the groundwork for bills filed in the upcoming legislative session. Stay tuned for updates about any final interim hearings to be scheduled for later this fall.