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In 2023, Texas legislators dramatically overhauled how community colleges receive state funding with the passing of House Bill 8. The bill shifts the state’s funding structure to be based on how many hours students are in class instead of by how many students graduate or transfer to a four-year university.Â
Community college leaders welcomed the change with open arms, saying the new system will incentivize degree completion and better workforce preparation. How has it been implemented and how is it going, since it went into effect on September 1st?
Join us at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 at the Texas Tribune’s Studio 919 and online for a conversation on how the state now funds community colleges, how campuses are implementing these changes and what outcomes they’re already seeing. Together, we’ll also talk through how community colleges fared in the 2023 session and what school leaders are watching for in 2024.
Panelists include Denisa Gándara, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at University of Texas at Austin; Brenda Hellyer, chancellor of San Jacinto College and member of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance; and Julian Cotto, recent graduate of Austin Community College and 2023 Chancellor Student Achievement Award winner. The event will be moderated by Texas Tribune education reporter Sneha Dey, who covers pathways from education to employment and the accessibility of postsecondary education in Texas. Â
Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. at the Tribune’s Studio 919, located at 919 Congress Ave., Sixth Floor, in Austin. The hourlong conversation will begin at 9 a.m. Parking will not be provided; street and garage parking as well as ride-sharing are recommended.
This in-person event will be livestreamed for virtual attendees and will be available to watch on demand afterward at texastribune.org/events.
Hellyer serves as the fifth chancellor of San Jacinto College, the eighth largest community college in the state of Texas and recognized as a national Top-Five College by the Aspen Institute’s Community College Excellence Program. She has served in a variety of roles at SJC including executive vice president for resource development, vice chancellor for fiscal affairs, and executive vice chancellor before assuming her role as chancellor in 2009.
Hellyer recently served on Texas Commission on Community College Finance, which was charged by the state legislature to come up with new ways of financing the colleges.Â
Gándara serves as an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas in Austin. Her research, primarily focusing on higher education finance, policy, and politics, is dedicated to advancing populations traditionally underserved in higher education. Gándara’s work has garnered support from prestigious entities, including the U.S. Department of Education and numerous philanthropic foundations.
recent graduate, chancellor's student achievement award winner, austin community college; developer, database support engineer, spectrum
Cotto is a recent graduate of Austin Community College with an associates degree in applied science in computer programming. For his work at ACC, he received the Chancellor’s Student Achievement Award. He is currently pursuing a bachelor of applied applied science in computer programming at ACC, and works at Spectrum as a developer and database support engineer. He is married and a father of two children, ages 2 and 6 months.
Dey is an education reporter for The Texas Tribune. She covers pathways from education to employment and the accessibility of postsecondary education in Texas, with an eye on college readiness, community colleges and career and technical training. Prior to joining the Tribune, she had stints at NPR’s Education Desk and Chalkbeat. Sneha is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She grew up in New York and is based in Austin.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism.
Find a complete list of them here.
Email us at events@texastribune.org
Sab Pell is senior director of product marketing at Openform, where her goal is to help people unlock the power of in-person events. Prior to Openform, she led global product marketing teams. Sab Pell is senior director of product marketing at Openform, where her goal is to help people unlock the power of in-person events. Prior to Openform, she led global product marketing teams.
