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

SPONSOR Stapleton

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/15/2007

HB 1170

SHORT TITLE

Academic Achievement Gap UNM African American

Studies

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$100.0

Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Companionship: HB 1105, HB1171, HB1173

Relation to: SB 385, SB705

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

NM Higher Education Department (HED)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 1170 appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of the

University of New Mexico (UNM) for the African American Studies Department. The funding

has three purposes: to develop bridge programs for high school students and university freshmen

to address the achievement gap and prepare students for university coursework in African

American Studies; for fellowships and assistantships for graduate and postdoctoral students; and

a distinguished lecture series in African American Studies.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100,000 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the general

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

general fund.

House Bill 1170 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

HED indicates that the African American Studies Program at UNM was championed by the

Black community in Albuquerque and established in 1970. This program promotes the

development of relationships between faculty, staff, and students. It is a multi-disciplinary

degree granting program that offers courses that illuminate the literature, history, and culture of

the African or Black Diaspora. Upon graduation, participants should have developed strong

research, writing, and interpersonal skills.

The initiative in this legislation would support high school students and freshmen in preparation

for and success in college, research on issues affecting African Americans, and a distinguished

lecture series in African American Studies.

According to the Education Commission of the States, the achievement gap is the disparity in

academic achievement separating economically disadvantaged students and students of color

from less disadvantaged students. Below-par achievement of minority students nationally

remains one of the most pressing problems in education. Black, Hispanic, and American Indian

students are much more likely than white students to fall behind in school and drop out, and

much less likely to graduate from high school, achieve a college or advanced degree, or earn a

middle-class living. A variety of factors affect the achievement gap including students’ racial

and/or economic background, their parents’ education level, their access to high-quality pre-

school instruction, school funding, peer influences, teachers’ expectations, and curricular and

instructional quality.

In New Mexico, according to data produced by the Public Education Department (PED) in 2005,

51.3% of African American students are proficient in reading and 18.4% are proficient in math

in the 11th grade. (The levels of attainment are similar for Hispanic and American Indian

students.) This compares to 60.3% of white students showing proficiency in reading and 48.5%

in math. African Americans comprise 3% of the population in New Mexico. They represented

2.6% of all degrees awarded (certificate, associate's, bachelor's, and graduate) in New Mexico in

2006.

This request was not submitted by UNM to the New Mexico Higher Education Department

(NMHED) for review and is not included in the Department’s funding recommendation for

FY08.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Companion bills are:

HB 1105 appropriates $190,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of the University

of New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY08 for the Charlie Morrisey Research Hall to repair

and maintain existing archival facilities, display space, and provide base resources for faculty led

student research focusing on the Black Diasporas at the national and international levels.

HB 1171 appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of the University

of New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY08 for a Visiting Scholars in Residence at the

Charlie Morrisey Research Hall in the African-American Studies Program.

House Bill 1170 – Page

3

HB 1173 appropriates $300,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of the University

of New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY08 to build a core faculty in the African American

Studies Program to expand the department, create distance learning coursework, conduct

research and support undergraduate and graduate students.

Relationship bills are:

SB 385 appropriates $25,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of the University of

New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY08 to support the African-American Studies Program.

SB 709 is a related bill that appropriates $75,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents

of the University of New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY08 for the African-American

Student Services Program and operations.

GM/csd