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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Nava
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/30/2007
2/17/2007 HB
SHORT TITLE Middle School International Film Education
SB 79/aSEC
ANALYST Aguilar
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$400.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)
FY07
FY08
FY09 3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
Total
$4.8
$4.8
$9.6 Recurring General
Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Public Education Department (PED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of SEC Amendment
Senate Education Committee amendment to Senate Bill 79 removes provisions for the
development of a curriculum using international films to one that helps New Mexico middle
school students acquire
knowledge and skills needed for success in the twenty first century while
expanding basic proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies and critical thinking.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The provisions contained in this bill are similar to a special appropriations request for “Journeys
in Film" which utilizes this same language in describing the program. An appropriation for
pg_0002
Senate Bill 79/aSEC – Page
2
“Journeys in Film" is included in the General Appropriations Act.
Synopsis of Original Bill
Senate Bill 79 appropriates $400 thousand from the general fund to the Public Education
Department to contract for a program to develop and implement an interdisciplinary international
education curriculum using international films for middle school students statewide.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The department notes that managing the contract will require some human resource support and
estimates this additional support at $4.8 thousand.
The appropriation of $400 thousand contained in the bill is a recurring expense to the general
fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall
revert to the general fund.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The Public Education Department reports Global Awareness is a key component of 21
st
century
learning, as defined by the Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills. Global awareness promotes
understanding, tolerance and acceptance of ethnic, cultural, religious and personal differences as
they play out in communities and workplaces. It also helps people work through the
complexities of different points of view that spring from different parts of the world.
These observations underscore both the importance of international education and the need for
access to high-quality, standards-based interdisciplinary curriculum which are not currently
available. Film provides a promising medium for developing the required understandings.
Research in both educational theory and cognitive psychology tells us that visual learning is
among the very best methods for teaching students of all ages how to think and how to learn.
Visual learning techniques - graphical ways of working with ideas and presenting information -
teach students to clarify their thinking, and to process, organize and prioritize new information.
PA/mt