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

SPONSOR Tripp

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/01/07

2/20/07 HB 793/aHEC

SHORT TITLE Science & Math Teacher Development

SB

ANALYST Propst

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to an appropriation contained in the General Appropriations Act.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HEC Amendment

The House Education Committee amendment strikes “local government division of the

department of finance and administration" and inserts “board of regents of New Mexico institute

of mining and technology."

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Bill 793 makes an appropriation of $250.0 thousand from the General Fund to the

Department of Finance and Administration for expenditure in FY08 for science and math

professional development for teachers of student in grade kindergarten through twelfth grade.

The appropriation will fund up to forty science and math teachers in six regional science and

engineering fair locations in New Mexico.

House Bill 793/aHEC – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DFA reports that research indicates that improving teacher knowledge and teaching skills is

essential in raising student performance. The Public Schools Reform Act of 2003 required the

New Mexico Public Education Department develop a professional development framework. The

framework identifies a systemic process by which educators increase knowledge, skills, and

abilities to meet professional and organizational goals that build capacity within the individual,

organization, and education system for the purpose of ensuring success for all students.

Professional development provides educators with the processes, intellectual tools, and resources

to assess and diagnose students’ academic, social and emotional needs in order to create rich,

rigorous, and rewarding learning experiences for every student.

Science fairs have served students, teachers and parents in New Mexico since 1959. Science

fairs require students to engage in scientific research and demonstrate understanding of concepts

and principles in science, mathematics and engineering (

www.unm.edu/~scifair

).

Holding professional development workshops in relation to the science and engineering fair

locations could help to improve the quality and quantity of the science fair projects as well as

their relationship to the curriculum.

New Mexico’s professional development framework outlines that “evaluation of professional

development processes and initiatives should be conducted regularly and include data collection

at multiple levels from multiple sources. Effective evaluation includes assessment at all levels

and is extended beyond the professional development activities to include long-term impact and

follow-up." DFA notes that HB 793 might be improved by including a component to address

long-term impact or follow-up for these regional trainings.

RELATION

Relates to HB 792 and the Executive recommendations for $2,000.0 for Summer Reading, Math

and Science Institutes, $60.0 for the Santa Fe Public Schools Science Initiative and $100.0 for

the Science and Supercomputing Challenge.

WEP/mt:csd