Switch to Outcomes-Based Higher Ed Funding Taking Time
During the regular session, Gov. Rick Perry’s top legislative priority for higher education was the implementation of a new funding system that rewards universities for graduating more students, not just for getting students into classes. To reach its 2015 goals, Texas needs to increase the number of degrees awarded by 46,000 each year.
A financing system that includes more “outcomes-based funding” has strong support, including from Raymund Paredes, the Texas Higher Education Commissioner, and business leaders such as Woody Hunt of El Paso, who chairs the Governor’s Business Council. But policy makers have struggled to agree on ...
Comments (8)
David Spratt
Rewards based on preformance? That seems downright Un American, according to new age thought and the premise of redistribution of wealth associated with all the talk about hope and change.
Ric Michaels
The dumbing-down of Texas edumacation continues --
"During the regular session, Gov. Rick Perry’s top legislative priority for higher education was the implementation of a new funding system that rewards universities for graduating more students, not just for getting students into classes." --
So, how are they going to do that with fewer professors and a lot less $$$? By giving away diplomas.
The only good news is that we Texans are so dumb already, there ain't that much further to fall.
Lou Anderson
Seems current trends are to push all kids into college - many of whom aren't equipped or even interested in being there. It's predictable that self-interested educational institutions would squawk. Using graduation rates as a performance standard are one piece of restoring quality to educational environments opposed to focusing solely on quantity.
LLC LLC1923
Universities do not need to be used as political pawns.
Philip Harris
Why is such a horrible thing to base funding off of performance? What else should it based on, warm feelings and good intentions? It seems that if dollars are at stake, Universities should work harder to retain students and give them a better education. Competition drives every area of the Texas economy, why is shouldn't an element of competition in student graduation rates not be included in funding for our universities?
Lauren Pierce
Performance-based rewards can only lead to better performance and more efficiency in higher education. Why not give this incentive-based program a try when our current number-games system isn't bearing any fruit?
Stephen Salter
In most universities a formula that requires more degrees and more graduates will result in just that more graduates. Then the Universities will be like the schools graduation fascilities with learning optional.
Stephen Salter
Why don't the legislators give each student a Texas Scholarship of X dollars and let us compete for students?