El Paso Community College can thank Gov. Greg Abbott for opening its doors to more students thanks to a $2 million grant to expand free education.
The funds are slated to go to nine Texas higher education institutions, including $285,000 for the El Paso Community College District, to support free, open educational resources for students in nursing and workforce training programs, noted an announcement on Monday, Aug. 17. These grants are awarded through the Open Educational Resource Grant Program, which helps institutions to create and adopt openly licensed textbooks and other course materials that students can access through the OERTX digital library.
The funding announcement comes as Abbott faces Democrat Gina Hinojosa in the race for Texas
governor in the November general election.
There are currently between 600 and 1,000 active nursing positions available in the city, depending on the job board and specific nursing credentials, according to the job site ZipRecruiter. The average salary for a registered nurse in El Paso is approximately $72,600 to $79,500 per year, or $35 to $38 per hour.
"Texas schools offer a competitive education for a variety of high-demand careers," Abbott said. "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. These grants will expand access to free learning materials to make education more affordable for Texans."
Since Abbott and the 85th Texas Legislature established the OER grant program in 2018, it has assisted more than 33,000 Texas students, saving an estimated $3.5 million in textbook costs.
Abbott issued a directive freezing undergraduate tuition and fees across all Texas public colleges and universities through the 2026–2027 academic year on May 27, 2026.
Gina Hinojosa stays with broader economic message
Hinojosa has remained consistent in her economic focus, not releasing a specific policy to lower the cost of college.
She has focused heavily on populist economic policies and general cost-of-living relief rather than introducing specific legislative plans targeting higher education tuition rates.
Her campaign stance emphasizes that by eliminating "corrupt vendor contracts" and scaling back the heavy bureaucracy within the Texas Education Agency, the state would free up substantial revenue to invest directly into classrooms and make public education at all levels less of an economic burden on families.
Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the general election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: EPCC grant shows divide in Texas governor races between Abbott, Hinojosa
