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Gov. Abbott awards $2M to expand free textbooks, course materials at Texas colleges
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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Gov. Greg Abbott announced more than $2 million in grants to nine Texas colleges and universities to expand free educational materials for students pursuing nursing, workforce training and other high-demand careers.
The funding will be distributed through the state's Open Educational Resource Grant Program, which supports the creation and adoption of free, openly licensed textbooks and course materials available through a digital library.
"Texas schools offer a competitive education for a variety of high-demand careers," Abbott said in a statement. "As we strengthen our workforce in nursing, cybersecurity, electrical technology, and business, it is critical that students have access to the resources they need to succeed in their chosen field."
According to the governor's office, the program has helped more than 33,000 students and saved an estimated $3.5 million in textbook costs since it was established by the Texas Legislature in 2018.
The largest grants, totaling $285,000 each, were awarded to Alamo Colleges District, Collin College, El Paso Community College, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lee College, North Central Texas College and Texas State University.
Texas A&M University-Kingsville and West Texas A&M University each received $15,000 grants.