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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Miera
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
01/31/08
HB 434
SHORT TITLE Educational Tech Deficiency Correction Fund
SB
ANALYST Escudero
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$87,848.0 Non-Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
Public Education Department (PED)
Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 434 appropriates $87,840,000 from the General Fund to the Educational Technology
Deficiency Correction Fund for expenditure in FY09 and subsequent fiscal years to make
allocations to correct serious deficiencies in educational technology infrastructure pursuant to the
Technology for Education Act.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $9,000.0 contained in this bill is a non- recurring expense to the general
fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall not revert to
the general fund.
According to PED, the technology deficiencies in public schools are grossly behind in
technological terms. The transfer from the General Fund to the Educational Technology
Deficiency Correction Fund would have to be appropriated over a multi-year program and within
five years to provide for compliance with the Cyber Academy Act, which says that if funding has
been appropriated to replace obsolete computers, replacements will be on a five-year cycle with
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House Bill 434 – Page
2
a ratio of one computer to three students in each school.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
According to PED, this bill provides for an appropriation of $87,840.0 from the general fund to
the Educational Technology Deficiency Correction Fund for expenditure in fiscal year 2009 and
subsequent fiscal years to make allocations to correct serious deficiencies in educational
technology infrastructure pursuant to the Technology for Education Act. The Technology for
Education Act provides guidelines and direction to the PED Educational Technology Bureau for
establishing the educational technology adequacy standards, for seeing that school districts use
these standards to correct deficiencies and that this action ensures state monies are expended in
the most prudent manner possible consistent with the original purpose.
The current act required the development of minimum technology adequacy standards to
supplement the adequacy standards developed by the Public School Capital Outlay Council
(PSCOC) for school districts. As of this date there exists a Working Draft of the Adequacy
Standards for Educational Technology that applies to 762 schools in New Mexico and is
included below.
The following builds upon the Public School Capital Outlay Task Force Report section on
Educational Technology. The standards are based upon Best Practices, and apply to all 762
schools in New Mexico:
Category
Standard
Benchmark
Network
Safe and secure network
supporting voice, video & data
to the desktop; sufficient server
capacity to support uses both
within the district, and
connecting students, teachers
and parents
E-mail for all educators and
administrators; network capable of
functioning when all computers are used
at the same time; 5% downtime, or less;
includes network operating software,
network management software, virus
protection, security
Sufficient bandwidth and access
to support anywhere, anytime
learning
Students can participate in online
courses from school and/or home;
teachers can upgrade professional skills
via online courses from school and/or
home
Distance
Learning
Multipoint videoconferencing
systems available for student
learning and educator
professional development.
One two-way videoconferencing system
per school. Schools with more than 400
students have additional systems for
each additional 400 students enrolled.
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House Bill 434 – Page
3
Computers and
Software
•
2 students per multimedia
computer; 1 to 1 computing
devices for students and
staff
•
Age of computers allows for
current browsers and
operating systems
(Windows 2000 or XP; Mac
OS-X)
•
Standard Productivity
Software
•
Age-appropriate content and
area specific software
•
Elementary use: 2 hrs per week per
student; secondary use: 5 hrs per
week per student
•
Replace computers unable to run
current browsers and operating
systems in next refresh cycle.
•
Word Processing, Spreadsheet,
PowerPoint, or equivalent
•
Math & Science simulations,
multimedia authoring, online
curriculum subscriptions
Peripherals:
•
Printers
•
Projectors
•
Science
Probes
•
Assistive
Technologies
Sufficient peripherals to allow
students to print, view, hear
instructional materials, as well as
complete individual tasks
appropriate to their learning
styles and abilities.
•
One printer and projector per
classroom.
•
1 science probe per 2 lab students
•
Sufficient number and types of
assistive technologies to support
each student with an identified
learning difference.
Additionally, with an appropriation of $1,500.0 from the 2006 Legislature and an appropriation
of $4,325.0 from the 2007 Legislature the state currently has upgraded infrastructure to standard
in 8 districts and has begun to phase in upgrades at an additional 6 districts:
DISTRICT
Total
Needed to
reach
Standard
Tech.
Adequacy
FY 07
Balance
Needed
to get to
Standard
Tech.
Adequac
y FY 08
Balance
Needed
to get to
Standar
d
Alamogordo
$1,531,200 $120,000 $1,411,20
0 $445,754 $965,446
Capitan Municipal
$169,700 $75,000 $94,700 $94,700
$0
Carlsbad
$2,523,000 $36,000 $2,487,00
0 $445,754
$2,041,2
46
Deming Public
$591,800 $17,314 $574,486 $445,754 $128,732
Des Moines Municipal
$203,000 $91,915 $111,085 $111,085
$0
Dexter Consolidated
$355,624 $78,049 $277,575 $277,575
$0
Fort Sumner
$263,500 $206,000 $57,500 $57,500
$0
Hatch Valley Public
$647,100 $154,500 $492,600 $445,754 $46,846
Hobbs Municipal
$998,510 $277,781 $720,729 $445,754 $274,975
Jal Public
$402,000 $100,200 $301,800 $301,800
$0
Lovington Municipal
$1,236,000 $200,556 $1,035,44
4 $445,754 $589,690
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House Bill 434 – Page
4
Portales
$329,600 $55,585 $274,015 $274,015
$0
Tatum Municipal
$137,200 $23,100 $114,100 $114,100
$0
Tularosa Municipal
$483,700 $64,000 $419,700 $419,700
$0
Total Awards
$1,500,000
$8,371,93
4
$4,324,99
9
$4,046,9
35
The Council on Technology in Education (CTE) reports that collaborative efforts have promoted
accountability in integrating the technology standards into the annual state Educational
Technology Plan Reports. Development of technology adequacy standards, district surveys,
capital outlay models of prioritization, initial estimates and methodology to prioritize projects are
recent actions to address district inadequacy reporting.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
As stated by PED, there is no specific PED performance measure; however, this does support the
PED’s goals of ensuring students graduate from high school better prepared to succeed in
postsecondary education and the world of work and increasing access to and application of
technology for student learning.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
The PED’s Education Technology Bureau will continue to work with the CTE and the PSCOC in
assuring that the provisions of the act are implemented prior to distributing funds to public
schools.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
As stated by HED, HB434 is related to the 2007 Cyber Academy Act: Section 9-10. Section 22-
15a-11 NMSA 1978 that reads:
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCIES-CORRECTION. School districts will agree
to consult and coordinate with the public schools facilities authority before installing any
educational technology infrastructure. OBSOLETE COMPUTER REPLACEMENT. If funding
has been appropriated to replace obsolete computers, replacements will be on a five-year cycle
with a ratio of one computer to three students in each school.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
According to PED, the Educational Technology Deficiency Correction Fund does not extend to
New Mexico’s postsecondary institutions. The $87 million cost estimate is approximately four
years old. Substantial Federal Communications Commission (FCC) eRate funding has been
appropriated specifically to address technology infrastructure to New Mexico schools.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
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House Bill 434 – Page
5
According to PED, by not enacting this legislation, New Mexico will not be able to keep up with
the on-going technological demands of our schools and communities and when the CTE comes
back to the Legislature there will be higher costs connected to the requests for funding.
Additionally, educational technology deficiencies will not be addressed as identified in Chapter
22-15A-11 in New Mexico school code
PME/nt