Ft Worth Times

The Tarrant County College District (TTC) is hoping a piece of legislation that will provide additional funding resources for community colleges statewide becomes law, according to a press release. 

LegiScan described House Bill (HB) 8 as a measure which pertains to “the administration, coordination and support of public higher education, including the public junior college state finance program.”

HB 8 overwhelmingly passed the Texas House of Representatives and has advanced to the Texas Senate, per the online legislation database. 

Local property taxes, student tuition and fees are what usually finance community colleges. 

Under the bill, two-year institutions’ funding hinges on how many degrees and certificates they confer, with a boost in money likely to allow schools to better meet Texas’ workforce demands, the release said.

“The new funding model will be a game changer in elevating the capacity of community colleges to build a talent-strong workforce throughout the state,” TCC Chancellor Dr. Elva LeBlanc said in the release. “More than ever, community colleges have the opportunity to be a vital partner with the communities we serve as an engine for economic development and a pathway for all to high-demand and high-wage careers – careers that build opportunity and social mobility for those we are privileged to serve.”

Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) authored HB 8, per a report from The Texas Tribune. 

“Through this bill you are setting Texas on a path to meet the workforce challenges that we know exist today and will only increase in the future,” VanDeaver, who sat on a commission that studied ways to improve community colleges last year, said, The Texas Tribune reported. “But more than that, members, be proud that through this bill you are creating generational change for Texas families for years to come.” 

According to TCC, VanDeaver also filed a measure that would let high school students from low-income households take dual credit classes for free via a new Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program. 

The lawmaker, who was the superintendent of the New Boston Independent School District (NBISD) before he was elected to the state House in 2014, said “increasing affordability” will cause many students to enroll in community college, the release said.