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

 

 

 

SPONSOR:

Beffort

 

DATE TYPED:

3/12/03

 

HB

 

 

SHORT TITLE:

Quality Teacher Pilot Project

 

SB

SJM 99

 

 

ANALYST:

Segura

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

NFI

 

**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Please Refer to Fiscal Impact Summary

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

State Department of Education (SDE)

 

SUMMARY

 

    Synopsis of Bill

 

Senate Joint Memorial 99 requests the State Department of Education to identify three probationary public elementary schools to enter into a five-year pilot project to implement strategies with the goal of improving student performance.

 

     Significant Issues

 

The joint memorial identifies the need to evaluate school improvement approaches and strategies using objective and systematic analyses.

 

The SDE and the selected schools are expected to implement the following strategies which focus on teacher quality and student needs:

 

  1. Providing extended contracts for school personnel for an eight-hour day,
  2. Employing for the participating elementary schools only those teachers who are fully certified in the field in which they teach, provided  that transfers of teachers who have substandard or substitute certificates or are teaching on subject waivers to other schools shall be in accordance with the due process provisions of Chapter 22, Article 10,NMSA 1978.
  3. Providing a rigorous evaluation, mentorship and intervention program for teachers who choose to remain at the pilot project elementary schools.
  4. Constituting a school personnel committee, consisting of a curriculum coordinator, six teachers and four parents, that develops criteria for selecting teacher candidates to fill vacancies and make recommendations to the principal on teachers candidates.
  5. Requiring the principal to employ new teacher from a list of three candidates recommended by the school personnel committee.
  6. Providing after-school activities and tutoring services for the elementary school’s students.
  7. Providing full-day and full-year pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs.
  8. Providing a five percent salary increase for teachers in the elementary school above any other salary increase approved by the local school board, and
  9. Providing an additional $10,000 annual salary differential above the local school board salary for each teacher who is certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Senate  Joint Memorial 99 does not contain an appropriation. According to SDE, the schools that are selected and their respective districts are to identify funding to pay the additional costs associated with the pilot project.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

 

The SDE indicates that the department staff will need to develop the selection process, provide technical assistance  to the schools and work with schools to identify funds to support the pilot.

 

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

The joint memorial requests the SDE and the selected schools to report annually to the Legislative Education Study Committee on student progress.

 

RS/njw