Topic: Higher Education

State lawmakers get warning that their higher-ed goals outstrip state funding; March for Our Lives this Saturday

Publish Date: March 21, 2018

State lawmakers get warning that state higher-ed goals outstrip state funding: The state commissioner of higher education, Raymund Paredes, warned the Senate Higher Education Committee today that public colleges and universities can no longer be expected to do more with less. He noted that over the past 10 to 15 years Texas higher education has managed to improve graduation rates...

Senate Bill 18 Imperils Key Source of College Students’ Financial Aid

Publish Date: May 16, 2017

On less than a day’s’ notice the House Higher Education Committee will consider tomorrow a bill that would eliminate a key funding source for college financial aid for needy students. The bill is SB 18 by Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo). It would eliminate tuition set-asides that redirect a fraction of total tuition charges in order to provide much-needed financial help...

Publish Date: March 13, 2017 Read More

Key Education Committees in Texas House

Publish Date: February 17, 2017

With their new rosters in place, the House Public Education Committee and House Higher Education Committee have slated their first meetings of the 2017 session for Tuesday and Wednesday next week, respectively. Texas AFT will keep close tabs on both as bills of interest to our members come up before these two legislative panels. Here’s the roster of state representatives...

Speaking Up for Funding for Higher Education

Publish Date: January 26, 2017

Marathon hearings on funding for higher education have been under way in the state Senate Finance Committee Wednesday and Thursday. Texas AFT and allies in these hearings are making the case for key programs that enhance educational opportunities in both preK-12 and higher education. A highlight of Wednesday evening’s testimony came when representatives of the Texas Association for Bilingual Education...

AFT Scholarships Available

Publish Date: December 14, 2016

The AFT Porter Scholars Program is now accepting applications for 2017. The program offers two great opportunities for AFT members and their dependents. There is a one-time grant being awarded to ten members in the amount of $1,000 each; also available are four $8,000 scholarships for high school seniors who are dependents of active members in good standing. To access...

Publish Date: October 19, 2016 Read More

Texas AFT Promotes College Funding, Scholarships for Educational Aides in State Budget Hearings

Publish Date: October 6, 2016

In recent testimony on state agencies’ budget requests, Texas AFT’s Government Relations team has seized the chance to urge investments in community colleges and in college scholarships for paraprofessionals seeking teaching degrees. The testimony was delivered at joint hearings of the Legislative Budget Board staff and the staff of the Governor’s Budget Office. These hearings held in advance of the...

Hot Topics: Hearings on Education, Labor, Revenue

Publish Date: September 7, 2016

Hot Topics: Hearings on Education, Labor, Revenue Texas AFT’s government-relations team will be working overtime next week as state lawmakers convene in Austin for a spate of hearings on education, labor, and revenue topics. The legislative hearings will overlap with a week-long series of State Board of Education meetings in the capital city as well. (We’ll preview next week’s SBOE...

Multi-Factor University of Texas Admission Policy Upheld; Court Deadlocks in Immigration Case

Publish Date: June 23, 2016

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, today welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s four-to-three decision upholding the admissions policy of the University of Texas against a constitutional challenge. Weingarten said: “The AFT, as the nation’s largest union of faculty and a longtime champion of racial equity, joins with our allies in celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm...

Summer Action at the State Capitol Affecting Education

Publish Date: June 21, 2016

Notable legislative hearings and agency board meetings for the summer include: June 21: One clear theme of today’s House Higher Education Committee was the legislature’s continuing quest for cost-conscious ways to increase college attendance and completion, especially in educational settings such as community colleges and programs leading to technical certification. One variation on that theme concerned the notion of competency-based...

Rising Cost of College Tuition and Student Debt in Texas—the Rest of the Story

Publish Date: April 28, 2016

This week Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a press conference to decry rising costs of public higher education for Texas families since the Legislature delegated tuition-setting authority to the universities and colleges nearly 15 years ago. Patrick spotlighted data showing tuition and fees have gone up 147 percent since 2002 while median household income of Texans rose only 32...

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