45th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2002

REQUESTING THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH INPUT PRIOR TO MAKING MAJOR REGULATORY CHANGES AFFECTING THE STATE'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WHEREAS, many education policy and regulation decisions of the state board of education are made without adequate consideration of costs to the school districts or the public benefit; and

WHEREAS, public and school district input is a valuable contribution to the creation of public school policy and regulations; and

WHEREAS, prior to making major regulatory changes, the state board of education should provide the public and the school districts with sufficient time and opportunity to submit input to the state board of education; and

WHEREAS, good public policy demands that the public and the school districts be informed about public school policies and regulations so that they may provide their guidance to the state board of education; and

WHEREAS, public and school district involvement in state education policy and regulation additionally provides the public and the school districts with an independent understanding of the costs and benefits of various regulations and whether the regulations originate with the state board of education or from state statute;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state board of education be requested to seek the public's and the school districts' input prior to making major regulatory changes affecting the state's public schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state board of education resist enacting regulations that impose unfunded regulation requirements upon school districts, unless the regulation requirements stem from state statute; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state board of education give preference to the least costly and least burdensome regulatory and paperwork requirements needed to accomplish legislative and regulatory objectives; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state board of education base regulatory changes on the best scientific, technical and economic information that can be reasonably and affordably obtained; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, as a result of regulatory changes, the state board of education provide school districts with flexibility and encourage innovation in meeting the regulatory requirements; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state board of education provide assessments of the costs and benefits of proposed regulations, prior to enactment of the regulations, to the public, the school districts and the legislature; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the president of the state board of education report all action taken with regard to this memorial to the appropriate legislative interim committee prior to the first session of the forty-sixth legislature; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be distributed to the president of the state board of education and the chair of the appropriate legislative interim committee.