Texas Ed Spectator

Last spring, the legislature passed a law that restricts public college students in Texas to drop only a maximum of six classes as an undergraduate. The idea was that this will help students graduate faster.

I see it as the perfect example of what passes for legislative support for higher education in Texas.

College officials say law capping dropped classes may hurt students | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News

The author of the law, Rep. Fred Brown, R-College Station, said he doesn’t buy the complaints about logistical nightmares.

Colleges work with transcripts all the time, he said. Plus there’s money at stake. The state pays colleges based on their enrollments. Students who drop classes may forfeit their tuition, but the state doesn’t recoup its dollars.

Mr. Brown said he’s not sure how much money the law will save the state and its colleges, “but the savings has to be huge,” he said.

With unregulated tuition increasing at state schools and overall decreasing financial contributions by the state, the legislature provides the citizens of Texas with a “no drop” law to show it’s support for higher education. Thank you Mr. Brown, for making higher education so much more accessible to the poor and middle class. By the way, do you know exactly how many students had dropped six or more classes before passing this law? Of course not, otherwise you would have been able to tell us how much the state will save.

Just one more example of those responsible for education in Texas being penny wise and pound foolish.

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