Texas 2036 launches funding simulator for career education expansion

Texas 2036 has released a free online tool that lets school districts and community colleges model how expanding career and college programs could increase state funding. The simulator is meant to help local leaders connect workforce-focused coursework with outcomes bonuses and CTE dollars.

Why it matters: - Texas districts and community colleges can now estimate how expanding career and college pathways could translate into more state funding. - The tool is aimed at helping local leaders connect student credential completion with funding formulas tied to workforce and postsecondary outcomes. - Texas 2036 says the simulator could help schools identify programs that support students in earning credentials for good jobs in their communities.

What happened: - Texas 2036 launched the free Career Coursework Funding Simulator for every Texas school district and community college district. - The tool lets educators and administrators model specific career pathways and estimate additional funding tied to those programs. - Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy at Texas 2036, said the simulator gives local leaders a tool to identify programs and funding that can help students prepare for good jobs.

The details: - The simulator is designed to show how expanding high-value programs could generate additional state funding through Texas school and community college finance systems. - Texas 2036 says if every Texas high school graduate from 2024 had met the state’s college, career and military readiness benchmarks, school districts would have received about $1.23 billion in additional outcomes bonus funding. - Texas 2036 says if every Texas high school graduate from the 2022-2023 school year had completed a Career and Technical Education Program of Study, school districts would have generated an additional $449 million in gross CTE funding. - Grace Atkins, postsecondary and workforce policy advisor at Texas 2036, said the tool lets local leaders test where the greatest opportunities are in their own district or college. - The simulator builds on Texas 2036’s earlier work helping state leaders develop the community college finance system that became House Bill 8 (88-R). - Texas 2036 says the new tool is meant for the next phase of implementation, when local leaders need to see how the two modernized funding systems work together. - Texas 2036 also published The Texas Model: Rewiring Community College Finance for Student Success, available here. - The Career Coursework Funding Simulator is available here.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a shift from state-level policy design to district-level decision-making. - The simulator could make funding formulas more tangible for local leaders weighing whether to expand CTE and career-aligned coursework. - The emphasis on measurable outcomes suggests Texas 2036 is trying to connect workforce training, student credentials and budget planning in one decision tool.

What's next: - Local districts and community colleges can use the simulator to test program expansion scenarios and estimate funding impacts. - Texas 2036 is likely positioning the tool as a planning aid as schools evaluate how to grow college- and career-ready offerings. - The organization will continue promoting its broader community college and workforce finance work through the funding simulator and related report.