PUBLIC HEARING ON BLINN FUNDING TO BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY IN AUSTIN

  

A public hearing will be held Wednesday in Austin to discuss two bills by District 14 Representative John Raney that could affect funding to the Blinn Brenham campus.

Raney believes that the Brenham campus is dependent on the Bryan campus because the Brenham campus contributes only a small number of contact hours in comparison to the Bryan campus, but receives more funding. Junior College districts are not required to distribute money evenly among the campuses.

Blinn’s total enrollment between the four campuses total 17,554 during the spring semester, with the Bryan campus having 12,112 of that amount, with the Brenham campus account for only 2,230.

Raney believes that the Blinn Brenham campus needs to market the campus better and cut some athletic programs, which have posted a net loss of more than $2 million dollars.

The Blinn Board of Trustees will discuss House BIll 1903 at their Wednesday night meeting, as well at House Bill 2621, which would require adding two Brazos County representatives to the Board.

The county commissioners of each branch campus with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students, would appoint two members to serve six year staggered terms for two years.

Raney has also presented House Bill 2138, which would require all junior colleges around the state to post financial data broken down by campus on the school’s website to increase transparency.

Raney believes that a financially healthier Brenham campus is good for the entire Blinn system, but wants more balance in how the money is distributed, and says that even if his bills do not pass, he hopes that Blinn officials will begin dealing with the funding differences between the campuses on their own. 

Page Michel, President of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce will have a group of their governmental affairs committee traveling to Austin on Wednesday morning to attend the public hearing with Liz Hopkins, Immediate Past Chair and Wesley Brinkmeyer, current Chairman of the Board.

 

 

 

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