Review Of Higher Education Decisions in Texas

With the Spring semester in session, it was easy to miss what really went on just a few blocks away within the confines of The Capitol. I often find myself wondering if my tax dollars are being put to good use on the House and Senate floors. With a whopping 4000+ bills filed by the 181 members in both chambers, I can say that they have probably earned their $7200 a year.

Since it is unrealistic to cover every bill filed, the media focuses on few key subjects that spark debate, interest, or controversy among voters and Texans in general. One such issue most have probably heard about (if not found themselves discussing in a coffee shop among other intellectuals) is the cuts to student financial aid for higher education. While I may not have had much time to stay up to date on current events while in school, this was one issue that definitely did not fly under my radar. A total of 909 education bills from both the House (608) and the Senate (301) were filed, the largest category of bills for both chambers. With so much attention to the issue of education, I find it hard to determine why my aid was cut by almost 50%. Could 181 intelligent legislators not come to a consensus that education is vitally important to both our state and our nation? I don’t understand where the logic is in Texas having a lower education standard than it already has.

Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes’s proposed solution of tightening academic standards and deadlines for grant recipients is proof enough that legislators are in the dark when it comes to higher education. I’ll use my specific case as a testament to why this is. The School of Engineering at UT currently recommends that I take 16-17 hours per semester in order for me to graduate in 4 years. In my case, tightening deadlines would mean that I finish my engineering degree in less than 4 years, a feat that I have personally seen accomplished only once while I’ve been in school. At the very least, grant money would not be extended past the fourth year of college. Considering engineering undergraduates finish their degree in an average of 4.5-5 years, this scenario is also less than ideal. Funding the higher education of students is in the best interest of the State. If legislators aren’t competent enough to figure a suitable budget, how will the less educated legislators of tomorrow be able to manage it? We can’t keep settling for temporary solutions. Texas needs a vision that extends past this afternoon and looks beyond to the generations of the future; a well educated public pays good dividends.