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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Nava

DATE TYPED 02-06-05 HB

SHORT TITLE Regional Educational Technology Assistance

SB 304

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$800.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico State University in the General Appropriations Act.

Relates to SB305

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Pubic Education Department (PED)

New Mexico Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO)

No Responses Received From

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 304 – Making an Appropriation for

Regional Educational Technology Assistance

– ap-

propriates $800,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico State Univer-

sity for expenditure in FY06 for the Regional Educational Technology Assistance program. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the general

fund.

Senate Bill 304 -- Page 2

Significant Issues

PED notes that this bill would permit New Mexico State University (NMSU) to continue its Re-

gional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program. RETA has provided professional

development services and curricular materials on technology integration to New Mexico educa-

tors for approximately nine years. The program’s goals include:

•

the establishment of a network of teachers trained in technology integration;

•

supporting the ongoing creation of new, technology-rich curricula; and

•

guiding policymakers in supporting technology integration in the state’s classrooms.

PED suggests that, for nearly a decade, RETA has been a primary provider of pre-service and in-

service technology training for PreK-12 educators in New Mexico. It has employed a variety of

outreach strategies to accomplish its aims and has established three regional resource centers and

a website at which online resources are available. For at least some school districts, RETA has

been the major source of staff training in technology usage and integration.

Further, PED observes that at the state level, RETA has partnered with public television station

KNME to produce curriculum modules on New Mexico history and with PED to develop web-

and CD-Rom-based materials for use in New Mexico history classes; and has also collaborated

with the PED in the implementation of the U.S. Department of Education’s Reading First pro-

gram.

CIO indicates that this program supports regional resource centers at Western New Mexico Uni-

versity, Northern New Mexico Community College, and New Mexico State University. It also

offers free:

•

professional development work shops to NM teachers (K-12);

•

technical instruction, support for the three tier licensing system;

•

technical workshops for the Laptop Initiative (including up to 48hrs of free training per

school district);

•

Reading First Programs; and

•

online professional development courses.

This project was not included in CHE’s 2005-2006 Higher Education Funding Recommendation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $800,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the gen-

eral fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMSU would retain oversight of the program.

Senate Bill 304 -- Page 3

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for NMSU in the General Appropriations Act.

CIO indicates a relationship to SB305, an appropriation for the Civic Engagement program, a

related program supported by RETA.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

As general background information, PED notes that RETA was initially funded in 1995 through

small grants from several local sources, receiving a federal Technology Innovation Challenge

Grant from 1998 through 2004. Later, during that same period, RETA was also awarded funding

by the New Mexico State Board of Education from its Professional Development Fund alloca-

tion. For the current fiscal year, RETA received $580,000 from professional development funds

approved in the General Appropriation Act. PED also offers the following observations with

respect to RETA’s funding and program relationships:

•

The Center for Children and Technology (CTT) completed a fifth-year evaluation report

of RETA’s Technology Innovation Challenge Grant for the U.S. Department of Educa-

tion in September 2003. CCT observed that RETA had increased the number of partici-

pants in its various training activities every year from 1998 through 2003. It also con-

cluded that RETA had achieved all five goals specified in the initial application for the

grant.

•

In FY05, RETA received $580,000 in state funding from the PED through the General

Appropriation Act. The money was used primarily to support technology integration

workshops for teachers, the development of an online submission mechanism for profes-

sional development dossiers and online workshops and courses for New Mexico educa-

tors.

•

The bill requests $220,000 more from state funds that RETA received during the current

year. In part, this appropriation would take the place of $8,700.0 awarded over a six-year

period through the Technology Innovation Challenge Grant, which ended in 2004. The

higher level of state funding would allow the program to expand its outreach services by

offering a greater number of workshops both on-site and online. In addition, it would un-

derwrite the costs of materials development and the creation of new courses.

BFW/njw