BLINN BOARD APPROVES NEW BUDGET WITH 3 PERCENT FULL-TIME PAY INCREASE, AUTHORIZES LEASE OF WORKFORCE TRAINING FACILITY IN WALLER

  

Blinn College’s budget for the next fiscal year will include a 3 percent increase in pay for full-time employees.

Blinn’s Board of Trustees moved today (Tuesday) to adopt a $134.3 million budget for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year, an increase of 4 percent from the $129.3 million budget set for the current fiscal year.

Included in the new budget is a 3 percent salary increase and tiered longevity pay for full-time employees.

Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Dr. Clen Burton said the College’s estimated cost to put in the 3 percent salary increase, along with benefits, is $1.86 million, while the projected cost for the tiered longevity pay for faculty and staff is $491,500. 

Dr. Burton said the balanced budget does not assume an enrollment increase. 

Trustees also approved tuition and fee rates for the 2026 spring and summer terms, opting to continue holding them at the same level as last year. 

Per-semester credit hour rates will be $64 for in-district residents, $123 for out-of-district Texas residents, and $279 for out-of-state and international students.  The general fee will remain at $80 per credit hour. 

The board’s decision to keep tuition and fee rates the same came after a preliminary legislative update.  After discussion earlier this year about the state asking community colleges to freeze their tuition and fees, Executive Vice Chancellor Leighton Schubert said that the state did decide to proceed with that, at least for required academic fees.  However, there is uncertainty over whether the freeze also applies to auxiliary fees like for housing and food service, so the College is hoping to get further clarification.

In additional legislative news, Schubert said many requested changes to House Bill 8 from the 88^th Legislature did not move forward, as only items proposed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board gained traction.  House Bill 8 overhauled the state’s community college funding model by switching from funding colleges based on the number of student hours to how many students earn degrees or certificates or transfer to a four-year university. 

Blinn sought to rework the bill to allow transfer students to qualify for the funding formula if, prior to moving from a community college to a four-year university, they took any semester credit hours at a four-year institution before enrolling at the community college.  Blinn also wished to adjust the base tier funding formula to allow colleges with ad valorem tax rates below 5 cents to use their actual tax rates in base tier calculations.

Based on the proposed changes not moving forward, Schubert said Blinn is not expecting any additional state revenue for either of those items, but the College’s new budget was already crafted without that funding.  However, the state did pass a change allowing students who transfer from community colleges to private or independent Texas universities to count toward the funding formula.  Previously, only transfers to public universities counted.

Schubert also announced that Senator Lois Kolkhorst secured $3 million in state funding over the next biennium to support Blinn’s workforce initiatives in Waller.  Blinn Chancellor Dr. Mary Hensley called Kolkhorst “an amazing advocate for Blinn College.”

In related business, the board authorized the College to lease a workforce training facility in Waller.  The approximately 17,000-square-foot facility, located at 30029 Binford Park Road, is expected to open in late spring 2026 and will offer workforce training courses in carpentry, certified clinical medical assistant, construction management, EMT, HVAC, mechatronics, and phlebotomy.

The action authorizes the College to spend approximately $1.66 million on initial costs, with $200,000 coming from the current operating budget and $1.46 million from the newly adopted operating budget.

The board also received updates on enrollment for the spring, May minimester and first summer sessions.  Vice Chancellor for Student Services Dr. Becky McBride said the certified spring headcount of 16,076 is up 0.77 percent from the previous spring's number of 15,953. 

Blinn’s largest spring enrollment total came from distance education at 4,236 students, followed by 3,980 in Bryan, 3,523 at RELLIS, 2,630 high school dual credit, 1,512 in Brenham, 52 in Schulenburg, 23 in Sealy and one taking evening classes at Waller ISD.  The Waller Campus enrollment does not reflect students who are taking dual credit courses in Waller.   

Enrollment for the May minimester totaled 952 students, a decrease of 36 students, or 3.64 percent.  The summer I term saw an increase of 137 students, or 2.47 percent, for a total of 5,694.