Perry's Higher Education Policies Attacked

When he was inaugarated in 2001, Perry promised that higher education was going to be his top priority. His opponents say that has not happened. They believe that higher education in Texas needs some changes.

Perry says, "Turning the ship of higher education around takes time.....I think we're moving in the right direction where the leadership in Austin understands that our institutions of higher learning are vitally important to the economic future of the state of Texas." Perry points out some accomplishments that have occurred with regard to higher education:

# Created the Emerging Technology Fund [$200 million]. This is supposed to draw scientists and engineers to Texas and enhance cooperation between universities and the private sector.
# Authorized $1.9 billion in campus repair and construction.
# Added money to the Texas Grant program.
# Gave each college the ability to raise its own tuition rates.
# Established a system for reporting graduation rates.

Of course, he doesn't tell us about the 70,000 qualified students who can't get a grant because there is no money. He doesn't tell us about the many Texans who can no longer go to college because the rising tuition rates have priced them out of the market. He won't tell us that he still doesn't have a plan to lift any schools to flagship status. His opponents will tell us though, and each has his own plan to improve higher education.

Chris Bell would do the following:

# Boost appropriations for colleges to lighten the tuition burden on students and parents.
# Would leave the top 10% law alone, saying it gives minority students a better chance of admission.
# Wants to put part of the new business tax into higher education.
# Wants to elevate more campuses to flagship status.

Grandma would do the following:

# Eliminate the Emerging Technology Fund and the Enterprise Fund.
# Institute a program to cover the costs of tuition, fees and books at a community or technological college for two years for any Texas high school graduate.
# Lock tuition in place for current students, and all students would pay the same tuition they paid as a freshman.
# Rework the 10% rule.
# Consider returning tuition-setting authority to the legislature.

Kinky says, "I want to see fundamental change, big-time change. Whatever they're doing now is not working. The institutions are rich as hell, and the kids are broke." Kinky would do the following:

# End the practice of rewarding campaign donors with appointments to a school's Board of Trustees, and install younger and brighter people.
# Eliminate the top 10% rule.
# Adopt something similar to Georgia's Hope Scholarship, which pays for tuition, fees and some books for students that maintain a B average.
# Cut the budgets of UT and A&M, and spread to money around to other state schools.

Libertarian Werner doesn't want to give any more money to higher education. He thinks that education should be marketed and sold as though it was a consumer product.