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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

1/25/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE Regional Educational Technology Assistance

SB 245

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$600.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 243 and SB 244.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University – Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA)

Public Education Department (PED)

Higher education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 245 appropriates $600,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of NMSU

for expenditure in FY 2008 for the Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) Pro-

gram.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $600,000 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.

Senate Bill 245 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

From 1998-2003 RETA was funded as a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant from the US

Department of Education receiving $8.7M. Starting in FY 2003, RETA has received legislative

professional development funding through the NM Public Education Department as follows:

.

2003-2004 - $500K

.

2004-2005 - $535K

.

2005-2006 - $500K

.

2006-2007 - $400K

.

RETA FY2007 funding of $400,000 from the Teacher Professional Development Fund (TPDF)

administered by the Public Education Department.

RELATIONSHIP

The PED notes that SB 245 is related to SB 243 (Strengthening Quality Schools (SQS) at PED)

and SB 244 (Re: Learning - ENMU). The RETA, SQS, and Re: Learning projects are part of a

larger group of professional development service providers.

PED also notes a relationship to the Executive recommendation for $2,500,000 for the TPDF.

The Legislative Finance Committee recommended a total of $2,500,000 for the entire TPDF

.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

RETA services include development and delivery of customized workshops and courses for both

face-to-face and online delivery, onsite coaching using data to improve teaching and learning,

development of standards-aligned web-based curriculum, customized web site creation, and con-

ference workshops & presentations. NMSU graduate and undergraduate credit is available for

most RETA professional development.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1.

What processes and procedures are in place at the Division of Quality Assurance and

Systems Integration in PED to evaluate, fund, and monitor professional development

programs.

2.

Is RETA included in the recommendations for funding the Teacher Professional Devel-

opment Fund or in the “Special Projects Expansion" in HB 7.

BM/mt