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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
02/02/08
HB 558
SHORT TITLE Educational Assistant Minimum Salaries
SB
ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$33,716.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
State Personnel Office (SPO)
New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
HB 558 appropriates $33.716 million from the General Fund to PED for expenditure in FY09 to
distribute to school districts and charter schools to provide minimum salaries for educational
assistants who meet the educational qualifications provided in Section 22-10A-17.1 NMSA
1978.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $33.716 million contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General
Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall revert to
the General Fund.
The LFC budget recommendations for the PED in FY09 included a 2% salary increase; and, an
additional 1% for a total of 3% for a certain category of employees, which included educational
assistants.
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House Bill 558 – Page
2
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
HB 558 sets a minimum salary of $12,000 annually for educational assistants and establishes
minimum salary pay according to educational requirements.
For the 2008-2009 school years, educational assistants who have a minimum of thirty hours
approved academic credit will be given a pay increase to the minimum salary of $12.69. If the
employee holds an associate’s degree or at least sixty hours approved academic credit, the
minimum hourly wage will be $16.91. If the employee holds a bachelors degree or at least ninety
hours approved academic credit, the minimum hourly wage will be $21.13.
At least fifteen hours of approved academic credits shall include courses similar to language arts,
reading or language arts, or reading pedagogy; writing or writing pedagogy; mathematics or
mathematics pedagogy; reading, writing and mathematics readiness; professional education,
classroom management, teaching assistance or special education; and/or early childhood
development. The PED will be expected to promulgate rules to implement the new provisions.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
Teacher education programs at institutions in the state of New Mexico offer courses and
programs for educational assistants to attain 2-year and 4-year degrees. According to the No
Child Left Behind Act, in order for educational assistants to become highly qualified they must
have in place an associate degree in a teacher education field of study.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
It is assumed that PED will administer the funds.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
HB 558 is a duplicate bill to SB 484
TECHNICAL ISSUES
NMHED notes that as "Public Education" has been stricken from the statute, yet “department"
remains in the language, it may be unclear which department this legislation refers.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
Employee’s performing work as educational assistants will continue to operate under each school
districts classification and pay system.
AHO/bb