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committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports
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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
2/13/2007
2/27/2007 HB
SHORT TITLE Dual High-School and Post-Secondary Credits
SB 943/aSFC
ANALYST Schuss
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)
FY07
FY08
FY09 3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
Total
$0.1
$0.1
$0.1 Recurring General
Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED)
Public Education Department (PED)
Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of SFC Amendment
The Senate Finance Committee Amendment allows home school or private school students to
apply for dual credit courses; provided however, that the student pays the full cost.
Synopsis of Original Bill
Senate Bill 943 amends 21-13-19 NMSA 1978 by removing the responsibility of the public
school district to transfer to an institute of higher education the tuition and fees for any student
who, during the term, is counted in the membership of the public school district and will receive
high school credit for coursework at a community college, branch community college, university
off-campus site, or technical and vocational institute. SB 943 also includes clean-up language
inserting Public Education Department and Secretary of Education where necessary. New
material has also been added to clarify the definition and conditions for dual credit.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
SB 943 requires that the school district or charter school that the student attends to pay the cost
of required textbooks and other course supplies for the post-secondary course that the student is
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Senate Bill 943/aSFC – Page
2
enrolled in. Upon course completion the student shall return these items to the school district.
HED notes that the overall fiscal impact of SB 943 is unclear. There is an undetermined fiscal
impact on schools for purchase of textbooks of dual credit students; also logistical issues in terms
of collecting used textbooks from students and re-using or selling them.
DFA notes that SB 943 removes the financial responsibility that school districts currently have in
statute to pay tuition and fees to post secondary institutions regarding high school students
enrolled in post-secondary entities to obtain dual credit.
A public post-secondary educational institution that participates in a dual credit program shall
waive all general fees for dual credit courses.
Section 1 (e) of Senate Bill 943 states that the Higher Education Department shall revise
procedures in the Higher Education Funding Formula to address enrollments in dual credit
courses and to encourage institutions to waive tuition for high school students taking those
course. If Higher Institutions opt to waive tuition this legislation does not provide a clear
methodology on how the funding formula is to be revised to provide for instructional costs
incurred from dual credit courses.
Additionally, there is no provision in SB 943 addressing parity among institutions, given the
implications of a necessary and subsequent reallocation of funds among institutions that would
result from the proposed revision to these “incentive" adjustments proposed in Section 1 (e).
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
SB 943 provides clarification for dual credit as follows:
•
identifies a “dual credit program" to mean a program that allows high school students to
enroll in college-level courses that may be academic or career-technical, but not remedial
or developmental, in order to earn credit toward high school and a postsecondary degree
or certificate;
•
student eligibility for participation to include enrollment at a minimum of half time in a
regular public or charter school and obtaining permission from a school counselor,
principal or head administrator of a charter school prior to enrolling in a dual credit
course;
•
the cost of the required textbooks and other course supplies are to be paid by the school
district or charter school;
•
the public postsecondary institutions shall waive all general fees for dual credit courses;
•
the Higher Education Department (HED) shall revise procedures in the Higher Education
Funding Formula to address enrollments in dual credit courses and to encourage colleges
and universities to waive tuition;
•
the HED and PED shall adopt to implement a dual credit program that specifies the
following:
o
postsecondary courses that are eligible for dual credit;
o
required academic standing and conduct of students;
o
semesters in which dual credit may be taken;
o
nature of high school credit earned;
o
any caps on the number and location of courses and provision of transcripts;
pg_0003
Senate Bill 943/aSFC – Page
3
o
appeal process for a student who is denied permission to enroll in a dual credit
course;
o
accommodation for special education students;
o
develop a master agreement to be used for dual credit;
o
expanding dual credit opportunities through distance learning;
o
how students and parents are informed about dual credit opportunities; and
o
provisions for collecting and disseminating annual dual credit data.
•
the HED and PED shall submit an annual report, including recommendations, to the
governor and the Legislature.
PED notes that the joint HED/PED Alignment Task Force/Dual Credit Subcommittee made up
of representatives from HED, PED, higher education institutions and school districts, has
identified the dual credit issues proposed in this legislation.
HED and PED rules 5.55.4 and 6.30.7, respectively, would need to be changed if this legislative
is enacted.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
Measurements of success include increased student participation in dual credit courses for all
qualified students in New Mexico high schools, accelerating postsecondary credits that accrue
toward graduation requirements while in high school, and clearly defining the role and
responsibilities for dual credit students between secondary and postsecondary institutions.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
HED states that they will revise procedures in the Higher Education Funding Formula to address
enrollments in dual credit courses and to encourage institutions to waive tuition for dual credit
students.
NMHED and PED shall make an annual report with recommendations to the legislature and to
the Governor.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
DFA reports that New Mexico has laws in place that highlights the importance of high school
students having opportunities to enroll in dual credit courses. During the 2007 Legislative
Session the cyber academy bill (SB-209 and HB-201) will build an infrastructure in New Mexico
that will make dual credit coursework accessible to all high school students in the state.
New Mexico has struggled with small rural districts being able to offer dual credit coursework
due to lack of technological infrastructure. Discussion continues about the ability of high schools
to:
•
prepare students for college, or
•
provide them with the counseling necessary to select and apply to colleges, or
•
give them the personal and academic skills needed to succeed in college.
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Senate Bill 943/aSFC – Page
4
Researchers argue that the separation between the K-12 and postsecondary systems is a
fundamental cause of these problems (Venezia, Kirst, and Antonio 2003). Too often students
graduate in good standing from high school only to find themselves in a remedial class when
they enter college.
BS/mt