Perry's Veto Infuriates Community College Officials

Governor Perry has infuriated community college administrators throughout the state. Before approving the state’s budget for the upcoming biennium, Perry vetoed the community college health insurance appropriation ($153,979,799) for the 2008-2009 budget year. The portion that would have gone to Tarrant County College is $9.2 million.

Even more maddening than the veto itself is the explanation given. Perry bizarrely claims that Texas community colleges “falsified” their appropriations requests.

Perry’s veto message addresses the complex and controversial issue of proportionality. Community colleges fund their operations with a combination of state funding, local property tax revenue, and tuition. Historically, community colleges have applied state funds to educational costs and used local funds to pay for facilities and physical plant operations. Only employees paid with state funds are entitled to state-funded health insurance benefits. Perry claims that community colleges have been inflating the number of state-paid employees in their appropriations requests.

TCC Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza and TCC Board of Trustees President J. Ardis Bell recently disputed Perry’s claim.

Our requests have been submitted, openly, in keeping with long-standing practice and in full accordance with the instructions given to us by the Legislative Budget Board and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. To accuse us of deliberate subterfuge is to impugn unjustly the integrity of the men and women who serve on our governing boards, faculty and staff. We strongly believe that an apology is in order and that the allegation of falsification should be retracted publicly.

And from the Texas Association of Community Colleges:

Accusing Community Colleges of falsifying appropriations requests is an irresponsible statement to which we take strong exception. The Governor’s veto statement refers to a policy issue known as proportionality. The Legislature held interim hearings on this issue and discussed the issue openly in its deliberations on HB 1. The Legislature made its appropriations decisions with full understanding of the key differences between Community Colleges and other state agencies with regard to the issue of proportionality.

Joe Alaniz, Vice President of Business and Finance for Del Mar College, told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that Perry has not backed up his claim with any specific evidence.

“(The governor’s office) won’t tell us specifics,” Alaniz said. “We have not falsified data. It’s an insult that he can accuse us of such tactics.”

The budget, of course, was reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and a conference committee. And it was approved by the full House and Senate prior to arriving on the Governor’s desk. Did Perry indicate at any time during this process that he had an issue with the community college health insurance appropriation? No.

Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr., D-Corpus Christi, said the governor did not hint at cutting the funding during the legislative session, which ended May 28.

“He never brought this up in the session or budget process,” Ortiz said.

There are 50 community college districts in the state. These institutions serve an important function, especially since tuition deregulation has made four-year institutions too expensive for many Texans.

Community colleges will overcome this loss of funding with a combination of budget cuts, property tax increases, and tuition hikes. As for Tarrant County College, de la Garza and Bell bring us the bad news:

This loss of more than $9 million surely will result in a reduction of services that are vital to the residents and economic health of our community. TCCD is trying its best to support the state’s plan of “Closing the Gaps” in higher education. The governor’s veto only serves to restrict the opportunity that we afford to our community.

Our only alternative to cutting services would be to recoup the lost funds by raising local taxes, raising student tuition or both. We believe that Tarrant County taxpayers have more than shouldered their share of the load as state appropriations have lagged behind growth. And to restore the funds through tuition would require an increase of almost 25 percent, placing higher education out of the reach of many students who do not meet the threshold for financial aid.

To sum up, Perry’s veto adversely impacts many Texans, especially community college students and faculty. Perry’s veto statement is false and defamatory. And Perry did not raise the issue at a time when legislators could address his concerns. That’s the kind of leadership we’ve come to expect from Gov. 39%. What an ass.

UPDATE: In October, Gov. Perry succumbed to public pressure. The Legislative Budget Board and Perry agreed to appropriate other state funds for community college health insurance benefits.