NOTE:  As provided in LFC policy, this report is intended only for use by the standing finance committees of the legislature.  The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used for other purposes.

 

The most recent FIR version (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) is available on the Legislative Website.  The Adobe PDF version includes all attachments, whereas the HTML version does not.  Previously issued FIRs and attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

 

 

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

 

 

 

SPONSOR:

Hurt

 

DATE TYPED:

2/11/03

 

HB

 

 

SHORT TITLE:

School District Training at San Juan College

 

SB

475

 

 

ANALYST:

Baca

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

$155.0

 

 

Recurring

GF

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

Relates to:        SB 312,                                  (Identical bills are shown together.)

             HB 83,

             HB 159 & SB 219,

 HB 197 & SB95,

 HB 198 & SB 89,

 HB 256,

 HB 471 & SB 223,

 HB 474,

 HB 484 & SB 196, and

 SB 415 

 

Relates to Appropriation for San Juan Community College in the General Appropriation Act

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

Responses Received From

 

State Department of Education (SDE)

Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of Bill

 

Senate Bill 475 appropriates $155,000 from the general fund to the Board of Governors of San Juan Community College to develop and implement a public school training needs program to address training and education needs in the college’s service area.

 

     Significant Issues

 

According to the SDE, the training and education needs indicated in the bill are those that are required or encouraged by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, including alternative licensure paths and coursework and associates degree programs for educational assistants.

 

The need for training is supported by the teacher shortage that has forced local boards to employ individuals who do not fully meet the certification requirements set forth by the State Board of Education. New Mexico and all other states face a critical teacher shortage.  This fact is borne out by statistics cited by the CHE that indicate more than 2,100 teachers in New Mexico are on waivers or teaching out of their field or are long-term substitutes. 

                                            

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

The appropriation of $155.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2004 shall revert to the general fund.

 

DUPLICATION, RELATIONSHIP

 

SB 475 relates to SB 312, SCHOOL DISTRICT TRAINING AT SAN JUAN COLLEGE, a bill similar to SB 475, and appropriates $155.0 for the conduct of training needs study and implementation of the some of the programs needed.

 

HB 83, EDUCATION TRAINING & CONSULTING SERVICES, appropriates $750.0 from the general fund to SDE to contract with a community-based organization to provide Baldridge-based  professional development for public school employees, board members and parents

 

HB 159a, SCHOOL PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, and SB 219, PUBLIC SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOMENT, (identical bills) appropriate $3,500.0 to the SDE for professional development programs for public school personnel and for specific programs, including Regional Education Technology Assistance (RETA)

Strengthening Quality in the Schools (SQS), Re:Learning New Mexico, The Center for Service Learning, and Golden Apple.

 

HB 197, DISTANCE EDUCATION FOR TEACHER PROGRAMS,  and SB 95,NMSU TEACHER DISTANCE EDUCATION (identical bills), appropriate $500.0 to the NMSU Board of regents to offer licensure programs for teachers throughout the state who have substandard teaching certificates.

 

HB 198, NMSU DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM AND SB 89, NMSU\GRANTS COMPLETION PROGRAM (identical bills), appropriate $150.0 to the NMSU board of Regents to provide for degree completion programs in early childhood and elementary education programs in collaboration with the pueblos of Laguna and Acoma on the Grants campus of NMSU.

 

HB 256, WNMU SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, appropriates $988.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of WNMU for fiscal year 2003 and 2004 to establish a network for web-based teacher licensure.

 

HB 340 AND SB 306, STRENGTHENING QUALITY IN THE SCHOOLS  (SQS) DEVELOPMENT (identical bills), appropriate $1,500.0 from the general fund to the SDE for fiscal year 2004 to contract with a community-based organization for the SQS initiative.

 

HB 471 and SB 223, CONTINUE Re:LEARNING PROGRAM, appropriates $1,500.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of Eastern New Mexico University to continue the Re:Learning program to support school improvement in all grades in New Mexico Public Schools.

 

HB 474, BORDER REGION SCIENCE & MATH EDUCATION, appropriates $400.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of NMSU to increase the achievement in math and science of students in rural counties in proximity to the Mexican border.

 

HB 484, MID SCHOOL TEACHER SCIENCE & MATH TRAINING, and SB 196, SCIENCE AND MATH TRAINING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS, (identical bills), appropriate $260.0 to the CHE to provide training in math and science so teachers may become more effective instructors in these fields.

 

SB 415, CENTER FOR BORDER SUPERINTENDENCY, appropriates $50.0 to the Board of Regents of NMSU to create a center for border superintendency to better prepare and provide professional development for superintendents to improve education along the United States-Mexico border.

 

SB 475, SCHOOL DISTRICT TRAINING AT SAN JUAN COLLEGE, appropriates $155.0 from the general fund to the Board of Governors at San Juan community college for fiscal year 2004 to develop and implement a school district training needs program, including programs that will lead to program participants becoming fully certified instructors.

 

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

The CHE reports “this proposal was ranked #3 out of the 4 proposals that were submitted to the NM Commission on Higher Education (CHE) by San Juan College.  Neither this program, nor any other institutional request regarding teacher quality, was recommended by the CHE.  Instead the CHE recommended the creation of a Program/ Enhancement Fund with $1.4 million dollars earmarked for the expansion of programs to provide education for teachers and teacher aides statewide.  The funds would be administered by the Commission and awarded on a competitive basis in response to proposals from New Mexico’s higher education institutions.

 

AMENDMENTS

 

The CHE suggests the following language for all new recurring higher education programs and expansion of current programs (assuming that funding will continue beyond 2003-2004):

 

“The institution receiving the appropriation in this bill shall submit a program evaluation to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on Higher Education by June 30, 2005 detailing the benefits to the State of New Mexico from having this program implemented for a three-year period.”

LRB/prr