The Key to the Future

Education in Texas is hurting.. badly.  The reports on the news are constant bad news: a budget that cannot be balanced without painful choices.  And while the fate of AISD and other Texas school districts is at the mercy of Texas lawmakers, a quieter story is that higher education is as well.  

This commentary from the February 23rd edition of the Austin American Statesman touches on the effect that slashing higher education dollars could have on our economy.  State lawmakers are debating how to manage a huge budget shortfall, estimated to be between $15 billion and $27 billion.  I sure wish we knew more specifically what the shortfall was, because there is a huge difference between $15 billion and $27 billion.  Why don't we have a tighter range?  It would be a huge benefit to know the real deficit.

Why should Texas invest in higher education?  There are short term and long term reasons.  The most immediate effect would be that college students will go to school somewhere else.  When higher education dollars are cut from the budget, colleges and universities must raise tuition and limit the amount and types of classes they offer. This would make colleges in other states more attractive.  If prospective Texas college students choose to attend college in another state, the economic impact on Texas would be huge.  Less students means less money spent in Texas, which means less sales tax generated.  It also means businesses that cater to college students will have drops in sales/income.  

On the long term outlook, making college more expensive means that less people will be able to afford an education past high school.  A strong future for our state hinges on an educated and skilled workforce.  There are social ramifications as well.  The commentary says "States that invest in higher education are rewarded with higher standards of living, reduced crime rates, increased charitable giving, increased quality of life and improved life expectancy."  

It would be foolish for Texas to deeply cut higher education dollars, our state needs more education affordable to more people, not the other way around.  Our government seems to treat education as a necessary evil, instead of as the key to our future success, growth and stability.