This week, we were engaged in a number of continued meetings with our legislators. On Monday, Dr. Lassiter spoke with a half a dozen members of our delegation. Our message was: Thank you for your support, and please continue to remember us throughout the appropriations process.

These meetings reinforce our belief that legislators are committed to higher education during this session. We will continue these meetings throughout the session to “keep the drumbeat going.”

The $100 million and $111 million recommended for community colleges by the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee workgroups, respectively, falls far short of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s $600 million recommendation; however, we fare better than some of our counterparts. For instance, the leadership made $750 million available for education; $550 million of that amount is mandated for public education under the new funding mechanism passed in the special session last year. Only $35 million has been recommended for four-year general academic programs.

While we remain hopeful and confident that our $100 million recommendation will be increased, it is no small sum. For DCCCD, this increase would mean an extra $2 million to $3 million over our current allocation.

This week, staff attended a number of committee meetings where bills of interest to DCCCD were considered. Next week, our staff will testify about bills related to textbook costs.