BLINN BOARD DISCUSSES LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Blinn trustees agreed upon a set of policy priorities for the upcoming Texas Legislative session at Tuesday’s meeting.
The board approved six policies to be considered by lawmakers when they convene in January. Leighton Schubert, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Strategic Relations, presented each of the priorities to the board.
Blinn is recommending to legislators an 8 percent increase, or $144 million, in overall state funding for community colleges.
Blinn supports the state funding goals adopted by the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC), as well as Community College Association of Texas Trustees (CCATT). This increase would add up to a total request of $1.9 billion for the 2020-2021 biennium.
In addition, Blinn asks that they support policies to strengthen workforce development services. This includes growth of the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program, and the Skills Development Fund Program, each directed by the Texas Workforce Commission. This also calls for including community colleges in new workforce development policies.
The board also asks legislators to clarify or change the definition of a four-year university success-point transfer, to include co-enrolled student transfers. Schubert cited Blinn’s transfer and co-enrollment rates, saying that many Blinn students are also enrolled at Texas A&M.
Trustees also ask that legislature supports the dual credit goals adopted by the TACC and CCATT. These goals aim to have at least 30 percent of high school students to take at least 12 hours of dual credit courses.
In conclusion, trustees ask that legislators support additional funding to offset rising costs related to Hazlewood Act exemptions, and that they restore lost funding for the Star of the Republic Museum at Washington-on-the-Brazos.
In other items, the board officially set its tax rate at $0.0601 per $100, in line with the same rate of the past three years. The rate remains the lowest out of Texas’ 50 community college districts.