Education: TAKS, Tuition, and Top 10%
For Texas universities, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee, has outlined five major issues: tuition deregulation and financial aid, mentoring, reforming the state's top 10% law, tuition revenue bonds, and setting up national research universities. "I want to keep top 10%, but we have to offer UT-Austin and Texas A&M some relief," Zaffirini said of the law guaranteeing the top 10% of high school students admission to the state university of their choice. The law was an attempt to ensure diversity after the Hopwood decision, but it has limited the schools' abilities to look beyond grades and test scores in admissions.
For public schools, House Public Education Chair Rob Eissler, R-the Woodlands, expects an effort to replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test with an end-of-course exam system, with a greater focus on readiness for postsecondary education. As always, funding will be an issue: "The districts want more help from the state. ... The state needs to take a more active role," Eissler said. He speculated that the state needs to find ways to apportion funding beyond the weighted average daily attendance system.– Lee Nichols