REQUESTING THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO EXAMINE THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPANDING THE INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE INDEX IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA.

WHEREAS, the public school funding formula is designed for the purpose of equitably distributing public funds to all local school districts, regardless of the wealth of the district; and

WHEREAS, the funding formula is composed of factors reflecting the costs of educating children with varying characteristics and needs in certain programs; and

WHEREAS, one component of the formula, the instructional staff training and experience index, provides increased incremental funding based on the training and educational expertise of instructors in the local school districts; and

WHEREAS, the instructional staff training and experience index was originally devised to encourage teachers to continue their education in order to improve their instructional abilities; and

WHEREAS, the instructional staff training and experience index is one component of the public school funding formula that encourages teachers to become better qualified and therefore improve student performance; and

WHEREAS, the instructional staff training and experience index, as it currently reads, in a linear progression does not encourage a teacher to attain additional education because credit hours earned after a teacher receives a bachelor's degree and before earning a master's degree cannot be counted under the index after the teacher earns a master's degree; and

WHEREAS, many local school districts and classroom certified school instructors would benefit by virtue of the calculation of the training and experience component of the formula if, when determining the academic classification, excess hours not included in any degree requirements could be counted before and after a master's degree is earned;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state board of education, in cooperation with the legislative education study committee and the legislative finance committee, be requested to examine the local school district costs associated with expanding the training and experience factor in the public school funding formula so that when determining the academic classification, excess hours not included in any degree requirements can be counted before and after a master's degree is earned; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the chairman of the legislative education study committee, the chairman of the legislative finance committee, the state board of education and the superintendent of public instruction.