Email, Miryam Lipper, assistant press secretary, Democratic National Committee, Jan. 15, 2015
11:30 a.m.
UNDER PERRY, THE COST OF TUITION FOR TEXAS STUDENTS HAS RISEN
Perry Signed A Bill Allowing Universities To Set Their Own Tuition Rates. “Universities will be able to set their own tuition rates under legislation signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry. The hotly debated bill changes current law that lets the Legislature set tuition rates. The bill was among hundreds of pieces of legislation that the governor's office said late Friday has been signed into law… The college tuition bill was among the higher profile bills that Perry's office said Friday had been signed. Supporters say deregulation is needed to give universities financial flexibility in tough times. Universities were among the hardest hit from GOP-pushed spending cuts used to deal with a $9.9 billion budget shortfall. Critics worried that the change would keep middle-class students out of higher education.” [Associated Press, 6/22/03]
HEADLINE: “Texas College Tuition Up 55% Since 2003 Deregulation, Analysis Shows.” [Dallas Morning News, 9/22/12]
· Dallas Morning News: “Texas Students Are Paying 55 Percent More For Tuition And Fees At State Universities A Decade After Lawmakers Lifted Restrictions On Costs, Putting Some Of Texas’ Premier Universities Out Of Reach For Many Families.” “Texas students are paying 55 percent more for tuition and fees at state universities a decade after lawmakers lifted restrictions on costs, putting some of Texas’ premier universities out of reach for many families, an analysis by The Dallas Morning News shows. Tuition is up 9.1 percent this school year from 2010-11, the last before the Legislature’s major budget cuts of 2011. The average cost for a typical semester for a state resident is an estimated $7,533 this year.” [Dallas Morning News, 9/22/12]
HEADLINE: “Report: Tuition In Texas Up 55 Percent Since 2003.” [Associated Press, 9/23/12]
· Associated Press: “The Average Student At A State University In Texas Is Paying 55 Percent More For Their Education Than A Decade Ago.” “The average student at a state university in Texas is paying 55 percent more for their education than a decade ago, when state lawmakers deregulated tuition and allowed campuses to start setting their own prices, according to a newspaper analysis. The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that tuition and fees now cost state residents an average of more than $7,500. Before deregulation, average costs were more than $4,000.” [Associated Press, 9/23/12]
San Antonio News-Express: “The Cost Of Higher Education In Texas Continues To Soar” Adding “Texas College Students Taking 15 Credit Hours For A Semester At A State Institution Has Increased, On Average, 104 Percent From 2003-2013 To $3,951.” “The cost of higher education in Texas continues to soar. The statewide total academic charges for Texas college students taking 15 credit hours for a semester at a state institution has increased, on average, 104 percent from 2003-2013 to $3,951. This increase in higher education cost is leaving students with more and more debt and Texas is one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to student loan default rates. In 2003, the Texas Legislature deregulated tuition, giving full control to each university system to set their own designated tuition rates.” [San Antonio Express-News, 11/20/14]
· San Antonio News-Express: “According To The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: ‘There Is No Upper Limit On The Amount Of Designated Tuition That A University May Charge.’” “According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: ‘There is no upper limit on the amount of designated tuition that a university may charge and the amounts may vary by program, course level, and academic period.’” [San Antonio Express-News, 11/20/14]
UNDER PERRY, THE PERCENTAGE OF TEXANS LIVING IN POVERTY INCREASED
2000: 15.1 Percent Of Texans Were Living In Poverty. [Poverty: 2000 to 2012, Census Bureau, September 2013]
2013: 17.5 Percent Of Texans Were Living In Poverty. [Poverty: 2012 and 2013, Census Bureau, September 2014]
THE PERCENTAGE OF TEXANS LIVING IN POVERTY WAS ALMOST TWO POINTS HIGHER THAN THE NATION AS A WHOLE
2013: 15.8 Percent Of People In The United States Lived Below Poverty. [Poverty: 2012 and 2013, Census Bureau, September 2014]
2013: 17.5 Percent Of Texans Lived Below Poverty. [Poverty: 2012 and 2013, Census Bureau, September 2014]
Miryam Lipper | Assistant Press Secretary
Democratic National Committee