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

SPONSOR Silva

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/24/08

HB 333

SHORT TITLE Bernalillo County Early Childhood Component

SB

ANALYST Escudero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$75.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

Children, Youth and Families (CYF)

No Response From

Commission for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (CDHH)

New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 333 is appropriates $75.0 from the general fund to the local government division of

the Department of Finance and Administration for expenditure in fiscal year 2009 to provide

stimulus funds to develop and implement an early childhood component for hearing impaired

students in Bernalillo County.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $75.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expenses to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to PED, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at 34 CFR §300.8

defines 13 disability categories. House Bill 333 only describes two of these disability categories

House Bill 333 – Page 2

(deafness and hearing impairment).

Federal regulations, under (IDEA) in accordance with CFR § 300.8, describe deafness to mean a

hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic

information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects a child’s

educational performance. Federal regulations, under (IDEA) in accordance with CFR § 300.8,

describe a hearing impairment as an impairment of hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating,

that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the

definition of deafness.

The number of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, reported by the school districts, for the

last three years is summarized in the table below.

School Year

Number of students aged 6 – 21 Number of preschool students

aged 3 – 5

2006 – 2007

551

50

2005 – 2006

543

60

2004 – 2005

552

42

Source IDEAData.org (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2008.

Hearing loss or impairment does not affect a child’s intelligence. Like most exceptionalities, if

caught early, intervention strategies can be implemented, and the hearing impaired student can

have success, (Special Education-Strategies for Hearing Impaired Students, 2008).

Language will be the priority area for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is the basic

requirement for success in all subject areas and will influence the student’s comprehension in the

classroom. Language development and its impact on the learning of students who are deaf or

hard of hearing can be complex and difficult to attain. You may find that students will need

interpreters, note-takers, or educational assistants to facilitate communication, and this process

will usually require external personnel involvement, (Special Education-Deafness and Hearing

Loss, 2008).

According to CYF, the bill provides stimulus funds to develop and implement an early childhood

component for hearing impaired students in Bernalillo County. It is not clear what type of early

childhood component is being requested for hearing impaired students in Bernalillo County. The

School for the Deaf in Santa Fe provides some services to children with hearing impairments

including preschool classes for five-year-olds.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

As stated by PED, House Bill 333, if enacted, could support the Governor’s “Making Schools

Work" initiative because every child deserves a good education, and every child regardless of

race or background deserves an equal opportunity to learn.

PME/nt