TEXAS EDITORIAL ROUNDUP
Free speech clashes. Admission disputes. And over it all there is the endless buzz of anxiety about debt. Too often, Texas higher education can look like a war zone. But a smart funding law – passed by the Legislature and translated into action by college leaders – has turned Austin Community College into a kind of oasis.
Last week, ACC’s board of trustees voted for a fiveyear pilot program that offers free tuition to all eligible high school seniors. The vote was made possible by House Bill 8, the Legislature’s new funding formula for community colleges. The model rewards the college for students’ degrees, certificates and credentials rather than simply enrollment. For ACC, that means receiving an additional $6. 8 million. The funds have allowed it to launch the free tuition experiment.
