Legislative Blog

J.B. Williams, J.D.

Deals with public higher education

A Blog about Education

A Bit of Background

The following backgrounds help summarize the author's views on both the general topic: Texas and more specifically Education as it relates to that topic.

Brief Summary of Texas

Texas is truly a Republic. There are a multitude of items that to modify the state constitution must be modified. So there are times when Constitutional amendments are on the voting ballots. While I sometimes abhor the wording, the concept that all of those legally able to vote in Texas must vote on the change is a good one. And bills in Texas are generally short, making it easier for everyone to understand.

Summary of Education

This subtopic will be used to discuss bills dealing with the Texas education system. They may include legislation that has been signed into law or bills that are currently being considered in the Texas legislature. Many currently being brought are more focused on parental rights with regard to their children.

Blog Summary

Generally this sounds good. I find the concept of a board paid by the state to provide the information that should be readily available to the student truly interested a sad state of affairs. Honestly a student interested in a field can already look at average earnings post graduation, cost of education, and the likelihood of finding a job in the given area. This should be an institute of higher educations goal to provide the information, that should be readily checkable via an internet search. As for the highest job market per degree/certificate, this information should already be available via the Texas Workforce Commission. And all high schools should be advising their students of where this information can be found. If not than our high schools are failing our students even more.

There is more there because it also goes into spending public taxpayer dollars to pay for things. With any luck it is only paying for degrees/certificates in areas that have the highest demand for jobs with employers in the State of Texas. That, at least, provides work for those graduating; keeps them in Texas and therefore, keeps them paying sales tax and such here to support the system into the future.

Deals with public higher education

Published: 2024-03-02

First the Education agency is required to post publicly information that will assist postsecondary students in their assessment of certificate programs, associates or baccalaureate degree programs, or other credential programs offered. It will do this by comparing 'schools' via platforms developed by the Texas higher education coordinating board. (While this seems well intentioned, something tells me that over time this is likely to become slanted in ways not readily noticed by the general public.)

This will include:

1. relative cost of obtaining the certificate, degree or other credential, including
   • cost of each of the following at the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile:
     • total cost of attendance;
     • tuition and fees;
     • room and board;
     • books and supplies;
     • transportation; and
     • other costs;
   • estimated net cost remaining after subtracting average scholarship and grant aid awarded to the typical student for the program;
2. value of the certificate, degree or other credential by comparing: median wage earned by students with same; and median student debt of students with same from that institution as compared to other institutions overall;
3. average student debt-to-income ratio, including estimated monthly student loan payment (computed using a standard 10 year repayment plan);
4. progress of repaying student loans by prior graduates;
5. educational outcomes for students seeking the certificate, degree or other credential, including:
   • percentage of students who continue post 1 year of study;
   • completion rate;
   • percentage of students who withdraw or transfer and subsequently graduate;
   • percentage of students who withdraw and do not enroll elsewhere within 3 years; and
   • percentage of graduates employed in the top five industries in this state

Each institute of higher education shall include a link to the tools or platform developed on their website within 3 hyperlinks from their website's home page.

Second, they must post start wage information and educational requirements for the top 25 highest demand jobs in this state based upon the Texas Workforce Commission. (Good idea to use them since they are already tracking the information so that they can assist people in getting employment.) Further they will include the 40 baccalaureate degree programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation. And they must identify the 20 associates or certificate programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation. (This works fairly well if it is basically starting salary averages for graduates. I know when I went to college this was information the schools provided you for their graduates. With the knowledge that the graduates could be working anywhere.)

The bill added that schools should allow accurate and timely exchange of information necessary for eligible students to enroll at no cost in a dual credit course. This is great for young adults wanting to begin getting college credits without them incurring additional costs.

A dual credit course is defined as a course that offers joint high school and junior college credit, or a course offered at an institution of higher education where a high school student may earn credit toward a requirement necessary for industry-recognized credentials or certificate or associates degree; a foreign language requirement; requirement in core curriculum at an institute of higher education; or a requirement in a field of study curriculum developed by the coordinating board.

• The eligibility requirements for the student are:
  • enrolled in high school or charter school and in a dual credit course at a participating institution of higher education; and
  • was educationally disadvantages at any time during the 4 schools years prior to enrollment.

Schools must notify parents of the funding for enrollment in dual credit courses. (This funding pays the participating institution of higher education a fee per credit hour for all students that are enrolled therein. The Legislature shall appropriate sufficient state aid to pay these costs.And members of the institutes of higher education may be on a committee to assist the Board in determining the amount of funding that is necessary here. This sounds like a very bad idea.)

A student participating in the program shall be eligible for high school graduation and either a applied associates degree or academic associate degree, if they graduate on or before the fifth anniversary of the date of the student's first day of high school.

The Board may use money to procure goods and services for the direct benefit of an institution of higher education and enter into an interagency contract to reimburse the board for such costs. Seems basic but this sort of thing needs to have audits to stop money from going round that doesn't get properly allocated and could become a bribe.

Each year the commissioner of higher education shall provide the comptroller and state auditor a list of each public junior college that is in compliance to participate. Only those included in the list are eligible for money appropriation under the program.

Institutes of higher education shall have core curriculum of no less than 42 semester credit hours unless approved by the Board. And for each field of study that the institute offers a degree program, there shall be a set of specific course in that field of study with a total of at least six semester credit hours or the equivalent. The credit hours shall be transferrable to a higher education institute in Texas and the course credits may transfer. A written denial of transfer must be provided if not transferrable, along with the reason for denying transfer. The institutes and student can then attempt to resolve the issues involved. If any of the parties is not satisfied with the resolution they can request review by the commissioner who will make the final determination. (The only issue I see here is if a four year degree institution does not transfer credits because they feel it is not equivalent to a lower level requirement that permits a student to take another course, and the commissioner determines it is; then the student could potentially be in a course they are not yet able to manage and pass. And if that kept up, then the 4 year degree institution will merely lower their courses to either graduate students that are less capable in that degree program or add additional courses to a degree program. And with how things are going, I see it more likely to be the first rather than the second.)

A public junior college, public state college, or public technical institute shall award Texas Direct associate degrees and include that notation on any transcripts.

This also provide the opportunity for adults to enroll in a public junior college, through workforce education program, in order to earn a high school diploma. There may be no more than 5 public junior colleges participating in this program. The board and the Texas Workforce Commission shall coordinate to identify funding, including grants, interagency contracts, financial aid, or subsidies. The board shall provide the legislature with progress report regarding the effectiveness of the program no later than December 1, 2026.

There are also a great deal of rules for determining the base rate of state aid to be provided to each public junior college. While this is not overall free education it is a step in that direction. Your property taxes already support the local public junior college in your area. So your tax dollars are already subsidizing the colleges. Now overall state funding will be spent to further subsidize public junior colleges, some more than others based upon a bunch of rules that get muddy enough to permit shifting of funding based upon 'feelings'. While I am all for providing some assistance to people, it seems that the more assistance to high school graduates we have provided the more likely they have been to not be able to repay loans and have wasted taxpayer dollars for education that provides little benefit in employment opportunities. Though here the funding is not a loan and, hopefully, is only provided for the areas that are shown to be degrees/certificates in which the person can most likely be gainfully employed in the State of Texas.

Only time will tell if this becomes a huge money suck or provides more good to students and eligible workers for employers in Texas.

 

J.B. Williams, J.D.

4,312 federal laws were passed from 1995 through December 2016.
Along with 88,819 federal rules and regulations.