Urgent - Action Requested!

Governor vetoes $154 million in funding for community college health benefits

On June 15, Governor Rick Perry vetoed $154 million in group health insurance for community and junior colleges, a 50 percent reduction in the total amount appropriated for the insurance. This will have a devastating effect on our two-year public institutions of higher education. TFA has written a letter to the governor expressing our dismay over his action and asking him find a way to restore the funds. The body of that letter is reproduced below.

LETTER TO GOV. PERRY
The Honorable Rick Perry
Governor's Office
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711

Dear Governor Perry:

We write to express our dismay regarding your decision to veto $154 million in fiscal year 2009 funding for group insurance contributions for public community and junior colleges.

The loss of $154 million has delivered a devastating blow to our fifty public community college districts and the more than 500,000 students they serve. The governing boards of these institutions are now caught between a rock and a hard place: they must either raise tuition and taxes or cut services to students.

You claim in your proposal to reform higher education that you want to increase "outputs"—in particular, the number of college students graduating with quality degrees. Inexplicably, your veto undermines this 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.

We respectfully ask, therefore, that you do the right thing. Please work with the Legislature in order to find a way to restore the $154 million for group insurance benefits.

Sincerely,
Janet Schmelzer, President
Mary Aldridge Dean, Secretary-Treasurer

WHAT TO DO

1. Write a letter to the governor expressing your dismay at his action. If you are employed by a community or junior college, make sure you include how much his action will cost your school. For example: "At Tumbleweed Junior College, we will lose $2.7 million." Tell the governor how this cut is likely to impact your school in terms of tuition increases, cuts in services, the cancellation of scheduled faculty and staff salary increases, etc. Make sure that your letter asks the governor to undo the damage that he has done.
2. Contact your local legislators. Send them a copy of your letter and call them to let them know how badly your school will be hurt by the governor's action. Urge them to contact the governor.
3. Share this Legislative Alert with your colleagues on campus, even if they are not TFA members. The governor needs to receive thousands of letters if anything is going to happen.

IS THERE A FIX FOR HIS VETO?
Yes, there is but it's a long shot. Sen. Eddie Lucio (D, Brownsville) has written to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to ask him to convene the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) in emergency session to address the $154 million shortfall in community college funding. When the Legislature is not in session, The LBB has the authority make budget adjustments through a process known as a "Budget Execution." Thus, the LBB could find a way to restore some or all of the $154 million. But, TFA's understanding is that governor would need to approve the LBB's action. So, the first step is to convince the governor to change his mind.

If you need to find out who your state senator and state representative are, you may do so by going to the Texas Legislature Online at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ or search for the name of the person who represents you at http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/.

Remember, do not use your school's equipment to contact state officials.

If you have any questions or need more information, contact Charles Zucker by telephone at (800) 364-8452, Ext. 1470, or via the Internet at charlesz@tsta.org.

 

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