The First Decade

Laredo Morning Times | lmtonline.com | Sunday, September 15, 2019 | F5 Â $QQLYHUVDU\ County teachers, as well as those in rural cities such as Cotulla and Crystal City. “We developed the attitude of serving people wherever it’s need- HG µ $ODQL] VDLG ´:H FHUWLÀHG KXQ - dreds of teachers, and thousands, probably, over the years.” Budget Cuts During its development, the cen- ter faced harsh budget cuts and political strife with the Texas Leg- islature. The center was successful during these years, but funding did not match its growth and increasing needs as more students enrolled. In 1975, the Texas Legislature threatened to cut the center’s bud- get as a drop in oil revenues af- fected universities and colleges statewide. By then, Texas A&I at Laredo had about 852 students en- rolled. During the 64th state legislative session, the Legislative Budget Board proposed slashing Texas A&I at Laredo’s budget from $1,008,859 to $828,624. The Legislature at the time was MXJJOLQJ WZR PDMRU ELOOV VFKRRO À - nance and utility regulations. The VFKRRO ÀQDQFH ELOO ZRXOG KDYH included property tax reform, ac- cording to a Texas Monthly article published June 30, 1975. <HW WKH VFKRRO ÀQDQFH ELOO GLG not pass, and Texas A&I System shelled out its own budget to save the school. A pivotal political force in Lar- edo was the Independent Club, or 2OG 3DUW\ 3DUWLGR 9LHMR ,W FRQ - VLVWHG RI HOHFWHG RIÀFLDOV VFKRRO board members and various other political bigwigs in the community. “We had the good fortune, or ill fortune, depending on how you see Dr. Billy Cowart named ”Man of the Year” by the Laredo Times in 1980