Harris County County Commissioner Rodney Ellis is calling for the State of Texas to take immediate action to rectify the funding disparities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and higher education institutions serving Latinos.
“In recognizing the dire financial situation of our HBCUs, this resolution demands an urgent response from state leaders.The data portrays a distressing decline in state investment for these institutions, impacting the educational opportunities provided by Prairie View, Texas Southern, and the University of Houston-Downtown.”
Harris county commissioner rodney ellis
Ellis recently issued a resolution calling on Governor Greg Abbott to add Prairie View A&M University funding to the Legislature’s current special session in compliance with Pres. Joe Biden Administration’s warning that the state is over $1.1 billion in arrears to the land-grant university. It also asks Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration to conduct a broader review of funding policies at both public HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions to address any continuing discrimination.
“This resolution seeks to address ongoing neglect and possible racially discriminatory funding policies of our Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions,” Ellis said. “It appears there also are ongoing funding disparities with Texas’s other HBCU, Texas Southern University, and possibly some Hispanic Serving Institutions such as the University of Houston-Downtown.”
GFX
Prairie View down 5%
Texas Southern University down 14.6%
University of Houston – Downtown down 15%
*Since 2009
By abandoning its financial responsibilities to these institutions, Ellis says the state may be violating its obligations under an agreement Texas signed to address continuing segregation in its funding decisions.
In 2001, the resolution states the Texas Legislature and governor first appropriated an additional $50 million to Prairie View and TSU as part of the Texas Agreement reached the previous year “in an effort to eliminate vestiges of historic discrimination.” However, since the 2010-2011 biennium, five general revenue appropriations at those institutions have remained stagnant, while those to the flagship universities have ballooned.
“In recognizing the dire financial situation of our HBCUs, this resolution demands an urgent response from state leaders,” Ellis said. “The data portrays a distressing decline in state investment for these institutions, impacting the educational opportunities provided by Prairie View, Texas Southern, and the University of Houston-Downtown.”