Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Texans pursue higher education with the hope for a future of unlimited opportunity. Education is the pathway to success and our economy is dependent upon a well-educated workforce. Last month I wrote to all 38 of our Texas public universities and asked for tuition data for each school since 2002 - before the 2003 legislative session when deregulation was passed.
Before the 2003 legislative session the Legislature set tuition.
That is why Texans who work tirelessly to pay their college tuition or to provide for their children to attend college must be assured they are getting a quality education at a cost they can afford. They need to know that the degree that is earned has real value in the marketplace and the promise of gainful employment.
Here are the facts: Since 2002 tuition and fees have skyrocketed 147 while household income grew by only 32.
Where did the money go? Administration spending grew 149 and management spending grew 72 while spending in classrooms only grew by 65.
Salaries are also at an all-time high:
- Just since 2012 salaries for top administrators have nearly doubled.
- Some employees were given $100000 to $400000 bonuses on top of million-dollar paychecks.
Have we seen great results to match these increases in spending? No.
Today in Texas only 1 in 4 students graduate within a traditional four-year cycle and fewer than half earn a degree within six years. As a result more and more students are leaving college without earning the degree they sought yet they remain saddled with burdensome college debt.
Those who do graduate often find the value of their degree is questionable when job prospects remain out of reach for many.
Some try to blame these problems on the Texas Legislature for allegedly cutting higher education spending but in fact the Legislature is actually spending more on higher education. However our share of total funding is down because we cant keep up 
with the profligate spending of university leaders.
During the 84th Legislative Session state leaders demonstrated our commitment to higher education by increasing funding by nearly $300 million (approximately 9) and authorizing over $3 billion for campus buildings. Yet within months of this increase capital-building-texas-Austinmost public universities once again approved tuition increases.
To move forward in providing affordable excellent higher education to Texas students universities must scrutinize every dollar spent as we do in the Legislature. Many universities are making strides in targeting inefficiencies and incorporating innovative cost-efficient programs. These include developing low-cost degree options and more flexible course options for students. Such efforts are making a difference but we need to see a much more comprehensive approach to reducing costs and increasing student success and it must start today.
Our goal must be to prevent tuition and fees from continuing to far outpace what Texans earn and live on now.
That is why I am calling on the leadership of our higher education institutions to partner with the Legislature to develop state- and institutional-based solutions.
There simply is no more time to engage in the blame game as parents and their students struggle to afford higher education with the 
hope for a future of unlimited opportunity.
Dan Patrick was elected Lt. Governor of Texas in 2014 winning the general election by almost twenty points including historic levels of support from Hispanic voters and women. Patrick was twice elected to the Texas Senate from District 7 in Houston and Northwest Harris County.
with the profligate spending of university leaders.
During the 84th Legislative Session state leaders demonstrated our commitment to higher education by increasing funding by nearly $300 million (approximately 9) and authorizing over $3 billion for campus buildings. Yet within months of this increase capital-building-texas-Austinmost public universities once again approved tuition increases.
To move forward in providing affordable excellent higher education to Texas students universities must scrutinize every dollar spent as we do in the Legislature. Many universities are making strides in targeting inefficiencies and incorporating innovative cost-efficient programs. These include developing low-cost degree options and more flexible course options for students. Such efforts are making a difference but we need to see a much more comprehensive approach to reducing costs and increasing student success and it must start today.
Our goal must be to prevent tuition and fees from continuing to far outpace what Texans earn and live on now.
That is why I am calling on the leadership of our higher education institutions to partner with the Legislature to develop state- and institutional-based solutions.
There simply is no more time to engage in the blame game as parents and their students struggle to afford higher education with the hope for a future of unlimited opportunity.
Dan Patrick was elected Lt. Governor of Texas in 2014 winning the general election by almost twenty points including historic levels of support from Hispanic voters and women. Patrick was twice elected to the Texas Senate from District 7 in Houston and Northwest Harris County.
