TFA Program for the 80th Legislature

The funding outlook: Will a robust economy produce healthy gains for higher education appropriations?

TFA has noted that a robust economy has pushed up state sales tax collections for fiscal year 2006. However, state leaders have cautioned that new demands for state dollars could cause any surplus to disappear quickly. State agencies, including institutions of higher education, have been directed by the Governor's Office and the Legislative Budget Board to cut their budgets by 10 percent for the 2008-2009 biennium. TFA takes this directive seriously. The central question facing the Texas Faculty Association education is to assure that higher education receives its fair share of new tax dollars that become available. TFA will lobby to make sure that happens.

TFA's Specific Goals for the 80th Legislature:

• Raise the salary of faculty and staff to the national average by the end of the next biennium
• Restore the cuts in health insurance benefits made by the 78th Legislature
• Improve retirement benefits for participants in ORP and TRS. Raise ORP to 8.5% of salary for all participants. Increase in the multiplier recommended by TRS
• Improve compensation for part-time faculty, temporary full-time faculty and staff, secure state funding for health insurance for long-term adjunct faculty
• Support more accountability for higher education administrators in state universities, colleges, and community colleges

TFA's General Objectives for the 80th Legislature

TFA has consistently fought for better funding for higher education, the protection of tenure, increased compensation for higher education faculty and staff, protection of the rights of higher education employees including part-time and temporary faculty, strengthening the role of faculty in higher education governance and decision-making, improvement of the status of women and minorities in higher education, protection of intellectual property rights, and development of a sound policy for distance learning. We will continue to do this in the 80th Legislature.

 

Why Join TFA?

Testimonials from TFA members

What's New?

The TFA UTMB-Galveston chapter blog

Faculty Salary Data

  Universities 2008

  Community Colleges 2008

From the Coordinating Board

An Overview of TRS and ORP for Employees Eligible to Elect ORP