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

SPONSOR Salazar

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/27/2007

HB 129

SHORT TITLE Middle School Teacher Science & Math Training

SB

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates SB 140.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 129 appropriates $250,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of

Northern New Mexico State School for expenditure in FY 2008 to provide a middle school

teacher training program to improve skills, technical knowledge, and teaching techniques in

science, mathematics, and technology. The program will better prepare teachers to teach students

in these subjects.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the

General Fund.

House Bill 129– Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

PED Analysis

Northern New Mexico College has partnered in the past with the Northern New Mexico

Math and Science Academy (MSA) to conduct professional development for middle

school teachers.

•

The MSA program was started in 2000 by the Northern New Mexico Council

for Excellence in Education (NNMCEE).

•

MSA focuses on standards-based education using research-based concepts and

instructional strategies.

•

MSA emphasizes assessment and data analysis.

•

The MSA goal is to increase student achievement by improving teacher practice.

•

Evaluators have found that student achievement has increased steadily for the

students of the teachers in the program.

The program consists of intensive training during a three-week summer institute;

biweekly site-based meetings after school; cognitive coaching/mentoring four to five

times a year; development of individual reflective portfolios; and biweekly on-line

discussion with the whole MSA community.

The proposal of $250,000, for what appears to be additional funding, was not submitted to the

New Mexico Higher Education Department by NNMC and is not included in the Department’s

funding recommendation for FY08. However, NNMC received a recurring appropriation of

$250,000 for this purpose in FY07 and the Department recommends continued funding for this

program.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The new and continuing teachers participating in the MSA and completing their master's degrees

through NMSU are performance measures. The program also contracts with an external

evaluator, the Center for Research and Education Testing through the University of California.

This evaluator measures program effectiveness by examining student performance as a result of

the professional development received by their teachers.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The New Mexico Math and Science Academy (MSA) is offered to teachers in the Chama,

Espanola, Pojoaque, Mora, and Taos School Districts. Teachers participate in 200 hours of

collaboration and training time each year and may enter a Master's of Teaching Program through

New Mexico State University (NMSU).

MSA is a program of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Education Office and the National

Laboratory Foundation. Additional support is received from participating districts, higher

education partners, and corporate sponsors. The state appropriated funds would be used entirely

for teacher stipends, paying them for their participation beyond their contractual requirements.

BM/mt