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THECB and partners hold regional summits to explain House Bill 8 community-college funding changes
Summary
Jeff Parks briefed LTAC on four regional summits organized with the Texas Association of Community Colleges to walk community colleges through House Bill 8 funding mechanics and tools; the series drew attendees from 40 of 48 community colleges and emphasized financial-planning tools, credentials of value and workforce alignment.
Jeff Parks, senior director for Workforce Education Partnerships, told the committee the THECB partnered with the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) to host four regional summits explaining House Bill 8 and the new community-college funding model.
Parks said the summits were intended to "provide clarity and collaboration for opportunities in House Bill implementation" and to give colleges hands-on training with financial-planning tools the THECB has published. The events included deep dives by the Community College Funding team into a spreadsheet-based modeling tool, a data-visualization tool, and a financial-simulation tool intended to help colleges model enrollment changes, graduation-rate effects and fiscal outcomes.
Attendance and schedule: Parks said the summits ran across the state: San Antonio (late September/early October), Dallas (Nov. 6—6), Odessa (Dec. 4—5) and Houston (Jan. 9—0). He reported a total of about 315 attendees representing 40 of the 48 TACC member community colleges; the Houston session was the largest with roughly 115 participants.
Content and takeaways: Parks said sessions covered the new funding mechanics in detail, guided participants through the spreadsheet and simulation tools hosted on THECB—s website, and added material during the rollout in response to participant requests —for example, credentials-of-value content was added after attendees asked for it. He said workforce and high-demand fields were emphasized and that college staff often followed presentations with one-on-one consultations.
Why it matters: House Bill 8 changes how community-college funding is calculated and requires institutions to understand how enrollment, credentials and completion interact with new funding formulas. Parks said the summit series helped colleges learn how to use the modeling tools to project financial outcomes and plan program and credential strategies.
Follow-up: Parks said TACC recorded the final session and the recording will be posted on the TACC website for colleges that could not attend; the THECB workforce team remains available for follow-up questions and one-on-one consultations.
Ending: Parks closed by thanking participating colleges and noting the summits— materials and tools are available for use as institutions refine planning under House Bill 8.
