Home of Today's Common Sense

Published Brownsville Herald October 8, 2006

Last year at this time this column has criticized the partnership of Texas Southmost College and The University of Texas as just a way to get more money to support the University of Texas by taxing one of the poorest parts of Texas twice and was not in favor of additional taxation to support a proposed bond issue. Once, just as the state normally collects taxes and a second time as a property tax. In my own case, the tax collected for Texas Southmost has gone up 50% in two years. The tax rate went up 1/3 from 2004 to 2005 from a rate of $0.128782 per $100 to $0.162772 per $100.00. Then for the 2006 year the rate dropped slightly to $0.161089 per $100, but my home was appraised even higher which still resulted in an additional increase in my tax of about 6%.
I would guess that some of that increase went to fund the University’s expansion described in the recent bond issue and that the dip possibly reflected the retirement of the previous bond as promised.
The interesting thing is, I really didn’t disagree that the needs were there, but I did disagree that “the folks” should be forced to pay for it under penalty of the loss of their home if they can’t.
In one of the meetings held to promote the bond issue, I even suggested that I would pledge the amount needed to pay my pro-rata portion of the bond liability voluntarily rather than see the mandatory tax increased. I also suggested that many in the community may well do the same.
A week or so ago, I decided to go visit my contribution in person but when I asked on campus for the Texas Southmost admission office or any Texas Southmost office, no one could tell me where it was. I did find UTB admissions in Tandy Hall however.
I must admit that a few years back, I was an adjunct instructor, teaching two classes in International Business on campus, so I was not shocked at the revelation. I was saddened however at the “real” loss of our community college.
My experience with community colleges in other parts of the country, were that they were to help community residents, that are less fortunate financially or had some other problem that resulted in less than stellar grades, get college level classes either to prepare them for success at a traditional college or to get a specialized program certificate to advance their careers. UTB provides the programs admirably but the costs to the local taxpayer and the student seem pretty high and many of the needful don’t meet the qualifications.
My guide when I went to the campus recently was a young nursing student. His mom was recruited from the Philippines to teach in BISD and according to peers and superiors alike was an excellent teacher. She performed admirably for several years but though she was an excellent teacher and worked in the needed area of special education, BISD declined to assist her in complying with the immigration requirements to continue teaching. To assure herself of some measure of future stability, she accepted one of the many offers to teach elsewhere that included fully paid immigration assistance.
Even though my guide lived legally in Brownsville for more than three years, he did not qualify for the resident tuition rates or even benefits that might have been offered to undocumented immigrants. With the sacrifice of his mom and some help from friends, he has successfully completed much of the nursing program and is expected to graduate in several months.
I wonder, if there was a real community college would my guide and his family still have had to make such a large sacrifice?
During the morning on campus, I walked around in awe of the incredible improvements to our University of Texas. I admired the attention to detail and the care taken in the architecture, so as to keep with the style of the older Ft. Brown buildings. When I saw the Business buildings and remembered the classrooms that I spent 2 ½ hours twice a week, I became convinced that the money was not only well spent but was returning the value with interest. Then in consideration of the many success stories that I continue to be told about, and the many cultural events available on campus, I find that I must join those who applaud the UTB-TSC growth.
In the final analysis, I doubt seriously whether we would have had such a great institution of higher learning without the UTB-TSC partnership. I also doubt that it would have come to a reality without President Garcia’s drive and the persistence of the TSC Board.
I would still like to have a real community college back and not have the support for the institution extorted by way of taxes and will no doubt find fault with how the politics of the system work in the future; but with it all I am still very proud of our world class University.