By Chris Fox, KRLD Austin Bureau Chief
AUSTIN (1080 KRLD) - Texas Higher Education Commissioner Dr. Raymond Paredes told Senate Higher Ed committee members on Wednesday the state needs to do better in producing college-ready students.
Dr. Raymond Paredes said compared to other states we're falling behind. "We're sending about 52-percent of our high school graduates from public schools to college. By contrast Massachusetts sends 70-percent of its high school graduates to college. Minnesota sends somewhere in the same range. California, which has a very similar demographic to Texas sends 60-percent of its high school graduates to college. We have to get closer to those numbers."
While updating lawmakers on the status of the State's 6030 program Paredes said the state is barely on par to meet its goal of 60-percent of college age kids with a degree by 2030. "We have some very dramatic challenges related to African American students, Latino students and particularly the economically disadvantaged."
Another goal of the 6030 program is to maintain manageable levels of student debt.
Paredes told lawmakers the state continues expand higher education at rates that significantly exceed the state's appropriations for higher education. "Tuition fees have increased 90 percent since 2003 and the decrease in state appropriations has been 26-percent."
