State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) stopped in Clarendon last Friday to update voters on issues facing the state and receive feedback from local voters.
The senator took advantage of the venue at Clarendon College’s Bairfield Activity Center to brag on community colleges and the role they play in education.
“Seventy-five percent of all entering college students start at a community college,” Seliger said. “Community college tuition is also 12 percent below the national average.”
Seliger said it was important for the state to begin looking at education as a single continuum and not separately as K-12 and higher education.
“It’s my goal to put more money into higher education, and I think we’ll see more outcome based funding for higher education.”
The senator also discussed illegal immigration, teacher shortages, and water issues.
“A growing state will place more demands on our system and our budget,” Seliger said. “I’m optimistic about the budget. I think we’ll see a budget increase but not over the cost of inflation and population.”
The state’s school finance system was also a topic of discussion since a judge recently ruled the current funding method unconstitutional. Seliger says it comes down to what figure is “adequate” per student.
“I think we’ll put more money in the system, but will it be ‘adequate’?”
Seliger closed his remarks by saying it is an honor to represent Donley County in Austin.
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