The budget also includes nearly $1.5 billion in grants for low-income students. State higher education leaders say that money will serve 70% of students in public community colleges and 70% of four-year university students who qualify.Over a year ago, Patrick set his eyes on public universities and vowed to ban faculty tenure and expand a K-12 ban on the teaching of “critical race theory,” an academic discipline that looks into the roots of institutional racism.
In February, when Abbott directed state agencies to disregard diversity considerations in hiring, many universities didn’t wait for anti-DEI legislation to play out at the Texas Legislature before taking action. They paused the implementation of any new diversity policies, reviewed hiring practices and prohibited the use of diversity statements in hiring. Diversity statements are used to give job candidates an opportunity to share how they work with diverse student groups and help them succeed.
In a statement, the Texas AAUP repeated warnings that banning DEI would make it harder for faculty to be awarded federal and private grants that require universities to do that type of work. The proposal came from a state-appointed Commission on Community College Finance, which met between the 2021 and 2023 legislative session to review the current funding system and recommend other models.