Dear Gov. Rick Perry,

You’re not new to us, but the Texas Legislature is new following the midterm elections.

This is another chance to work together and do what’s best for this state.

Community colleges give the chance for others to have an affordable higher education when so many think it’s out of reach.

Tarrant County College knows this and will be looking to you and the legislature, hoping that when it is time for budget cuts, community colleges won’t be drastically affected.

We want to continue providing a good educational investment as best we can to those who didn’t think college was in their future, to those who are returning to college to become more marketable and to those who are just out of high school and ready to start their adult lives.

When it comes time to make those budget cuts, we know we’ll be affected somehow. But as any community college would ask, please be wary of how much budget cuts could affect tuition and property taxes.

Also, even though it’s a federal program, aspects of No Child Left Behind are beginning to leak into our college.

“Students will also be required to take end-of-course exams in core subjects to ensure students graduate college and are career-ready,” your website says.

TCC and other community colleges are beginning to push core curriculum as the sole focus of study. A standardized test doesn’t help prepare students for college. So how can students prepare for the career field of choice when all they’re being pushed to learn are core classes?

Even in community colleges, students need to be encouraged to step outside the core and take electives in their first and second years. After all, 18 hours of an associate degree includes electives. These electives can help them prepare for their upper-level courses in their major.

These days, colleges seem to make students simply work for the piece of paper that says they passed their classes.

Community colleges seem to focus more and more on the graduation level, instead of the reason we came to college — to learn about our career.

Help community colleges and students remember that higher education is more about a job and career field than a piece of paper. Help community colleges see that this isn’t high school.

Thank you.

P.S. Please come visit us again. We’d like to help you understand what a day at a community college is like. Or visit any other community college in Texas to see why saving our funds is worth it.