By Catie Beck
News 8 Austin
May 21, 2008

Even during the Summer months, you can find University of Texas college students in the financial aide office, trying to find ways to afford their education.

"What else am I going to do? You have to pay that amount to get the good education," student Ann Burnett said.

Tuition costs are only part of what some say are many areas in need of reform in Texas' state universities.

"That struggle has always been there to some extent," UT Financial Services' Henry Urik said.
Wednesday, State education leaders talked about the bigger picture -- about getting better teachers in the classrooms and getting more money to students directly instead of channeling it through schools.

"I think we can make more headway and more progress sitting here today than we can even think is possible," Gov. Rick Perry said.

And perhaps with some solid reform, other issues will fix themselves. "I don't know that parents and students would care to the degree they do about tuition if they knew they were getting a good value for it," Texas Public Policy Foundation's David Guenthner said.

Either way, the minds at the top are thinking and talking about ways to make things better.

"The whole issue nationwide, not just in the state of Texas, is one there needs to be a national conversation about," Urik said. And, many students would likely agree -- especially the ones who
are spending their summer trying to figure out how to pay for school in the Fall.