TDP Cries Foul On Perry's Veto Of College Funds

The response to Rick Perry's veto of funding for community colleges has been pretty homogeneous: no one likes it. Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie has some guesses as to why.

Temple College administrators were unhappy with the veto and the implications of fraud in Perry's justification for the cuts. Coastal Bend College lost some $5.5 million in health insurance funds and now must find a way to replace that money. The Chairman of the Board for the Dallas County Community College District was disappointed, to say the least.

Chairman Richie released a statement today pointing out what Perry's veto really means:

Democrats have always believed education is the ‘silver bullet' because it provides an opportunity for everyone to succeed, is responsible for the middle class that is the backbone of our nation, and allows our country to be more competitive in a global economy. Well, Governor Rick Perry just put a bullet into Texas Education.

With one stroke of his pen, Perry vetoed more than $157 million in critical state funding for community colleges across Texas. Perry's veto will send shockwaves through many local communities that could lead to significant job losses and property tax hikes to offset the loss of state funding. Community college students will be slammed with tuition increases, raising barriers that could price a whole generation out of an opportunity to receive a higher education.

Wherever you are in Texas, from the Valley to the Metroplex to the Panhandle, whether you're in a big city or a small town, Perry's funding cuts will hurt a college near you and damage your local economy. It's just one more example of the shameful Republican anti-education agenda that has left Texas students with under-funded public schools and skyrocketing college tuition.

Thanks to Rick Perry, David Dewhurst, and Tom Craddick, many middle class families can no longer afford to send their children to colleges like UT, Texas A&M, or Texas Tech. Many students who couldn't afford the tuition and debt burden at those colleges turned to their local community colleges to get an education. Now Rick Perry has gone after them, resulting in fewer opportunities for people who could have improved their lives with a higher education.

If you've been a student at any Texas college in the last ten years, you know how much tuition prices and fees have increased. Those increases have been a direct result of tuition deregulation and other cuts in funding for higher education in Texas. These cuts are results that Perry and the state GOP leadership are proud of, if you can believe it.

Richie has more reactions:

But don't take my word for it. Listen to Dennis Michaelis, President of McLennan Community College in Waco: "It starts a cycle that's ugly," Michaelis says. "[The college] doesn't want to raise tuition, but in order to be able to continue to serve students and the community, we might have to. One of the surprising things about it is Gov. Perry has claimed to be a very strong voice for economic development in the state of Texas, and economic development starts with a well-trained workforce."

Well, Governor Perry claimed that. But we know what his word is worth.

I'll give you my word: Texas Democrats will continue to fight against the Republican anti-education agenda. Texans may be stuck with Rick Perry for three more years, but the TDP is committed to electing a Democratic Legislature that will ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed by investing in Texas' education system. In 2006, Democrats gained six seats in the Texas House, slashing Speaker Craddick's Republican Majority in half. In 2008, we will build on that success and restore a Democratic Majority in the State House.

And it's a good thing, too. Go visit the TDP.