TFA blasts governor’s veto of community college funding for group insurance

The Texas Faculty Association announced today that it is appalled by Governor Rick Perry’s line item veto last Friday of $154 million in group health insurance for community and junior colleges, a 50 percent reduction in the total amount appropriated for the insurance.

In announcing the veto, the governor said that a budget provision bars the spending of general revenue on employee group benefits if the employees’ wages are paid from a source other than general revenue. The governor accused community colleges of falsifying their appropriation request in order to get money for the benefits, an assertion that caused Dr. Rey Garcia, president of the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC), to bristle, according to an article in the Austin American Statesman. Garcia stated that the community colleges were blindsided and added that it was irresponsible for the governor to accuse the community college of falsifying their appropriation requests.

TFA secretary-treasurer Mary Aldridge Dean said, "The governor has delivered a devastating blow to our community and junior colleges. The $154 million decrease in funding will result in larger class sizes, poor salary increases for faculty and staff, the hiring of more adjunct faculty members and reduced services for students. It may also force some community colleges to raise tuition and taxes. The governor claims in his proposal to reform higher education that he wants to increase "outputs"—in particular, the number of college students graduating with quality degrees. Inexplicably, his action undermines his stated goal. Community and junior colleges will now find it more difficult to do their part in meeting the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s stated objective of dramatically increasing the number of college students who graduate with degrees by the year 2015.

TFA Executive Director Dr. Charles Zucker said, "We are committed to working with the two-year institutions to find a way to restore the $154 million cut in funding, but it is going to be tough. Since the 80th Texas Legislature has adjourned sine die, there is no opportunity to override his veto. The worse case scenario is that we will have to wait until the 81st Legislature convenes in 2009 to fix the problem."

 

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