August 19, 2025 Blinn Board of Trustees continues participation in program offering free or reduced high school dual credit Trustees also schedule a public hearing regarding the 2025 fiscal year tax
August 19, 2025
August 19, 2025
Blinn Board of Trustees continues participation in program offering free or reduced high school dual credit
Trustees also schedule a public hearing regarding the 2025 fiscal year tax rate
For the second consecutive year, the Blinn College District Board of Trustees has opted into the FAST (Financial Aid for Swift Transfer) Program, providing free or reduced-cost dual credit courses to high school students.
Through FAST, which was established by Texas House Bill 8 during the 88th Legislative Session, qualified high school students can complete college courses and earn college credit at no cost. Students are eligible to have their dual-credit costs covered if they enroll in an eligible dual-credit course at a participating public school district or charter school and have qualified for free or reduced-price lunch within the previous four years.
Eligible students will not pay tuition and fees for eligible dual-credit courses, books, supplies, and other course materials. Students’ eligibility is determined based upon data provided from ISDs and charter schools to the Texas Education Agency.
Students who are not eligible for FAST pay a reduced tuition of just $58.52 per semester credit hour.
“FAST gives students the ability to start their college journey with confidence and momentum,” said Dr. Becky McBride, Vice Chancellor for Student Services. “By providing free or reduced-cost dual credit courses, we are helping them save money, earn valuable college credit, and move one step closer to graduation before they even leave high school.”
Blinn’s Dual Credit Program enables high school students to earn credit toward their college degree by enrolling in courses that simultaneously satisfy the requirements for both high school graduation and a college degree. These courses may be taught on a Blinn campus or a high school campus by credentialed instructors according to criteria established by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Blinn dual credit courses include the same content and rigor as courses taught to other college students.
The board also scheduled a public hearing to discuss the proposed 2025 fiscal year tax rate of $0.0438 per $100 of property value. That hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26, in the third-floor Administration Building Board Room at 802 Green Street in Brenham.
The proposed rate would yield an estimated $3,183,274 in tax revenue and equates to approximately $43.80 in annual taxes per $100,000 of property value. The current tax rate of $0.0421 per $100 of property value equates to $42.10 in annual taxes per $100,000 of property value, and the no-new-revenue rate of $0.0404 per $100 of property value equates to approximately $40.40 in annual taxes per $100,000 of property value.
Blinn’s property tax rate is the lowest in the state and generates approximately 2% of Blinn’s annual operating revenue. By law, all property tax revenues collected in Washington County must be used to support the College’s Washington County operations.
About the Blinn College District
With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn’s academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
