Dive Brief:

• The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in Texas is proposing that the state provide scholarships to ensure that any high school graduate who wants to attend community college or technical college can do so.
• Leticia Van de Putte, a state senator, said her "Texas Promise" plan would be modeled after the Tennessee Promise, which offers free community college for every high school graduate in that state starting next year.
• Van de Putte’s proposal would be funded with $2 billion from the Texas Rainy Day fund, which has amassed an estimated $8.4 billion from oil and natural gas revenues, the Star-Telegram reported. 

Dive Insight:

If only we all had $8.4 billion for rainy days. That’s more than $3,200 for every person in Texas. Under Van de Putte’s plan, interest generated on the $2 billion would fund the scholarships. In announcing the proposal, the candidate pointed to statistics that estimate more than half of the jobs in Texas by 2020 will require more than a high school education. As many as 45,000 students could qualify for the program.