SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL 24

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE; CREATING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND STATE-CHARTERED CHARTER SCHOOLS RELATED TO THE USE AND IMPACT OF FEDERAL FUNDS FROM THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND; PRESCRIBING DUTIES FOR THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. A new section of the Public School Finance Act is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY--REPORTING REQUIREMENTS--DUTIES.--

          A. No later than July 1, 2023, a school district or state-chartered charter school shall submit a report to the department, on a form provided by the department, detailing the use of federal funds allocated to that school district or state-chartered charter school from elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding.

          B. The department shall develop and make available a report template. The report template shall include space to capture the information required in the report as provided by Subsection C of this section.

          C. The report shall include the following information regarding the use of the federal funds received through May 31, 2023:

                (1) the amount of funding received;

                (2) the projected impact of the funding on student achievement;

                (3) applicable data outlining progress toward program goals;

                (4) the amount of funding remaining; and

                (5) an analysis determining if the invested federal funds accomplished the desired student outcomes.

          D. If the funds did not accomplish the desired student outcomes, the school district or state-chartered charter school shall provide an explanation of how the school district or state-chartered charter school plans to revise the programmatic uses to improve student outcomes.

          E. If elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding remains unspent by a school district or state-chartered charter school after May 31, 2023, a second report shall be submitted by the school district or state-chartered charter school to the department detailing the same contents as the first report required by Subsection C of this section by July 1, 2024. If elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding remains unspent by a school district or state-chartered charter school after May 31, 2024, a third report shall be submitted by the school district or state-chartered charter school to the department detailing the same contents as the first report required by Subsection C of this section by July 1, 2025.

          F. The department shall publish all submitted reports from school districts and state-chartered charter schools on its website within thirty days of receiving the reports.

          G. For the purposes of this section, "elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding" means funding from the elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund as provided in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021."

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