AN ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY; PROVIDING FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND CORRECTION OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCIES; CREATING THE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCY CORRECTION FUND.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. Section 22-15A-1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1994, Chapter 96, Section 1) is amended to read:

     "22-15A-1. SHORT TITLE.--Chapter 22, Article 15A NMSA 1978 may be cited as the "Technology for Education Act"."

     Section 2. A new section of the Technology for Education Act, Section 22-15A-11 NMSA 1978, is enacted to read:

     "22-15A-11. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCIES--CORRECTION.--

          A. No later than September 1, 2005, the bureau, with the advice of the council and the office of the chief information officer, shall define and develop minimum educational technology adequacy standards to supplement the adequacy standards developed by the public school capital outlay council, for school districts to use to identify outstanding serious deficiencies in educational technology infrastructure.

          B. A school district shall use the standards to complete a self-assessment of the outstanding educational technology deficiencies within the school district and provide cost projections to correct the outstanding deficiencies.

          C. The bureau shall develop a methodology for prioritizing projects that will correct the deficiencies.

          D. After a public hearing and to the extent that money is available in the educational technology deficiency correction fund, the bureau shall approve allocations from the fund on the established priority basis and, working with the school district and pursuant to the Procurement Code, enter into contracts to correct the deficiencies.

          E. In entering into contracts to correct deficiencies pursuant to this section, the bureau shall include such terms and conditions as necessary to ensure that the state money is expended in the most prudent manner possible consistent with the original purpose."

     Section 3. A new section of the Technology for Education Act is enacted to read:

     "EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCY CORRECTION FUND.--The "educational technology deficiency correction fund" is created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of money appropriated, distributed or transferred to the fund by law. Earnings from investment of the fund shall be credited to the fund. Money in the fund is appropriated to the education technology bureau for the purpose of making allocations to correct educational technology deficiencies pursuant to Section 22-15A-11 NMSA 1978. Except as otherwise provided, any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert. Disbursements from the fund shall be made upon warrants drawn by the secretary of finance and administration pursuant to vouchers signed by the chief of the education technology bureau."

     Section 4. TEMPORARY PROVISION--REPORT.--No later than December 1, 2005, the education technology bureau of the public education department shall prepare a report summarizing the educational technology adequacy standards and methodology to prioritize projects, describing the outstanding educational technology deficiencies and estimating the cost of correcting the deficiencies. The report shall be submitted to the governor, the legislature and appropriate interim legislative committees.

HB 511

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