The Lone Star College System is asking state lawmakers to fully fund the community college funding formula instead of cutting its base budget by 3%.
Lone Star College, which serves Woodlands-area families, filed the request in its legislative appropriations request for fiscal years 2028 and 2029, as Community Impact Newspaper first reported. Austin Community College, Houston City College and Tarrant County College included the same language in their budget filings.
The colleges warned that without full formula funding, programs students depend on would lose ground. "Funding at these levels will provide additional certainty for colleges investing in student achievement of credentials of value, including short-term workforce credentials, dual credit attainment and transfer," the colleges wrote in their appropriations requests.
That matters locally. Dual credit courses and workforce credential programs at Lone Star College campuses are a pipeline for Woodlands-area high school students heading into the job market or transferring to four-year universities.
Why the cut exists
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed most state agencies and public universities in a July 14 letter to submit base budget requests 3% below their current funding under Texas' $338 billion biennial budget. The leaders said the reductions would help Texas maintain a "strong fiscal position" by expanding property tax relief.
The cuts are not guaranteed to become law. Rahul Sreenivasan, a fiscal policy analyst at the nonpartisan think tank Texas 2036, told Community Impact in an Oct. 21 interview that the directive forces agencies to justify their funding during the legislative session. He noted that lawmakers' first draft of a biennial budget is typically smaller than what ultimately passes.
Broad pushback
At least 18 state institutions have pushed back, according to Community Impact's review of budget documents filed with the Legislative Budget Board. The comptroller's office, the attorney general, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, state criminal justice agencies and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are among those protesting.
Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar, a former state comptroller, asked budget writers at a Sept. 25 hearing to oppose the reduction. He said the cuts risk "shifting additional costs to families."
Several major programs are exempt from the 3% directive, including K-12 public education funding through the Foundation School Program, the state's education savings account program, Medicaid and foster care, and state pension costs. Sreenivasan said the exemptions mean the squeeze falls on a smaller portion of the overall budget.
The specific dollar amount of the proposed cut to Lone Star College's budget was not detailed in available documents.
The 2027 legislative session is scheduled to begin Jan. 12. The state comptroller is expected to release a biennial revenue estimate before the session opens, giving lawmakers a clearer picture of available funds.
