Getting to college might get more difficult in the next biennium. Amid serious budget concerns, the state’s ability to help qualified students afford higher education may be on the chopping block.

State agencies have been asked to find ways to cut 10 percent from their current budgets, most of which were already reduced by five percent this year in anticipation of a budget shortfall estimated to be as high as $18 million. That could be painful. “The cuts will be pretty draconian for financial aid,” Arturo Alonzo, deputy commissioner for business and finance at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, told lawmakers at a joint session of the House and Senate Higher Ed Committees.

Asked by Senate Higher Ed Chairman Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, whether it would be possible for the THECB to meet its 10 percent goal without cutting back on financial aid. Nope, Alonzo said: “It’s impossible.” Of particular concern is the fate of TEXAS Grants, a prized program among legislators that serves students with significant financial need. According to the THECB's proposed budget, ten percent cuts would mean that TEXAS Grants, the supply of which already falls well short of demand, would be available to 23,745 fewer students. The state currently provides 113,228.

Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, points to the potential loss of thousands of TEXAS Grants as a reason to look at ways of balancing the budget beyond cuts. "We must make sure that when we 'tighten our belt,' we don't actually tighten the belt of families struggling to put their kids through college or put a chokehold on our economic growth," he said.

As the state attempts to increase participation and success in higher education as funding falls, such concerns will probably become a theme during next year's legislative session. “We’ve got to get through a short-term trough without losing our momentum,” says House Higher Ed Chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas. “That’s going to be the challenge of the session.”

—Reeve Hamilton