In North Texas, we believe that hard work opens doors. For thousands of students and families in our communities, that door has a name: TRIO.
TRIO programs are federally funded education access programs that serve tens of thousands of at-risk youth and adults across the United States. These programs have long served as a lifeline for first-generation college students, low-income families and individuals working to rebuild their lives through education pathways. Now, proposed changes threaten to dismantle that support system in ways that would be felt across North Texas.
Recent actions by the U.S. Department of Education could fundamentally reshape — and potentially weaken — TRIO programs as we know them. Some proposals are considering shifting TRIO into block grants for states, which would offer less predictability and fewer protections for community-based programs.
When funding becomes uncertain, programs shrink. When programs shrink, access disappears. And when access disappears, opportunity doesn’t just pause — it vanishes for the very people who need it most.
TRIO programs are designed to fight poverty, which in Texas is still significant. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 13.4% of Texans — more than 4.1 million people — were living in poverty in 2023.
If most jobs require education beyond high school, but most adults don’t have it, something has to give. And if you want to fight poverty in Texas, we need an educated workforce. This is exactly where TRIO programs step in.
At Opportunity Resource Services, the nonprofit I lead, TRIO programs helped serve 3,393 first-generation college students last year by providing college and career advising, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), submitting college applications, applying for scholarships and enrolling individuals into trade programs, community colleges and universities. Those efforts translated into over $11 million in educational financial aid secured for North Texas families.
TRIO is all about the student who becomes the first in their families to step onto a college campus. The working adult who earns a credential and moves into a stable career. The formerly incarcerated person who ends the cycle of crime and builds a future instead. These individuals don’t want a handout; they are taking advantage of a much needed hand-up through TRIO.
And here’s something we don’t talk about enough: Education doesn’t just open doors — it pays back substantially. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, weekly earnings increase significantly with each level of educational attainment — associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral degrees — while at the same time unemployment rates decrease
In other words, the more you learn, the more you earn, and the less likely you are to be out of work. Over the course of your life, these realities make a huge difference to your pocketbook, your family and your community.
The Council for Opportunity in Education has warned that with these proposed policy changes as many as two-thirds of current programs held by community-based nonprofits, universities and community colleges could lose funding. The funds could be reallocated to state bureaucracies, which critics see as less efficient. All this despite Congress’s support of TRIO programs as they are currently structured, having recently reauthorized funding for the programs in the 2026 Appropriations Bill.
As Texans, if we’re serious about workforce development, economic growth and reducing poverty, eliminating proven pathways to affordable education beyond high school is a dumbfounding way to show it. You don’t build stronger communities and a stronger workforce by reducing access and support for those working hard to improve their lives.
The good news is that this is not a done deal. Congress has stepped in before to course correct when federal policymakers’ actions threatened access to education. They can do it again but only if they hear from the communities affected. That means now is the time for local leaders, educators, business owners and residents to speak up. Let your representatives know that North Texas values educational opportunity as a policy priority.
I often remind myself that success is never a straight line. Behind every statistic is a story of someone working hard to prove that where you start does not determine where you finish.
Dustin Phillips is co-founder and CEO of Opportunity Resource Services, a nonprofit based in Cleburne, dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty by providing educational access to underserved individuals.
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