A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE STATE BOARD OF
EDUCATION TO STUDY THE ADULT BASIC EDUCATION FUND FORMULA.
WHEREAS, the state board of
education states that "Literacy is a national priority and must become the
priority for all New Mexico citizens, parents and educators, and literacy
impacts every person's future success and his or her ability to function academically,
in the world of work and as an effective citizen"; and
WHEREAS, the board further
states that "this policy will guide the work of the state superintendent,
the state department of public education, local school boards, all educators
and communities in the improvement of literacy skills for all students";
and
WHEREAS, low levels of English
literacy in the United States and in New Mexico are linked to poverty, and the
national research council indicates that children of caregivers or parents with
low literacy skills do not have the same educational opportunities as children
of highly literate parents; and
WHEREAS, twenty-seven percent
of New Mexico families with children less than five years of age live at or
below the poverty level, and New Mexico has the highest rate of children living
in poverty in the fifty states; and
WHEREAS, the state department
of public education is part of the array of services for literacy from
preschool through adulthood, involving prevention of literacy problems as well
as intervention for those New Mexicans requiring literacy services; and
WHEREAS, the state department
of public education is under a joint powers agreement with the human services
department to administer one million dollars ($1,000,000) for a statewide adult
basic education program for temporary assistance for needy families program
recipients with learning problems; and
WHEREAS, the state department
of public education, in consultation with representatives of adult basic
education sites, established by regulation in 1995 an equitable formula for the
distribution of resources in the adult basic education fund; and
WHEREAS, in establishing the
formula, the department considered the types of programs conducted, the cost of
service delivery and the socio-economic profiles of the adults receiving
services, and the department submitted the proposed formula to the commission
on higher education for approval prior to adoption; and
WHEREAS, the state department
of public education distributes resources through this formula; and
WHEREAS, the department and
adult basic education providers wish to reexamine and update this formula in
light of the over two hundred thirty thousand individuals in New Mexico who are
eligible for adult literacy, secondary degrees and English as a second language
services; and
WHEREAS, the department and
adult basic education providers question the efficacy, equitability and
efficiency of the present formula; and
WHEREAS, four million eight
hundred thousand dollars ($4,800,000) was appropriated in fiscal year 2003 from
general funds and served thirty thousand two hundred nineteen full- and
part-time students; and
WHEREAS, the state department
of public education is the regulatory agency for the federal adult basic
education resources and the state general funds distributed through the funding
formula;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state board of education
be requested to create a task force to examine the present formula and
determine its adequacy and, if necessary, establish a new formula; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the
task force should include:
A. adult basic education providers; and
B. representatives from: student organizations, including general
equivalency diploma candidates; English language learners and literacy
learners; the commission on higher education; business entities; the
departments of finance and administration, labor, economic development and
human services; literacy experts; regional workforce investment boards; the New
Mexico association of community colleges; New Mexico works providers; the New
Mexico office of Indian affairs; and the state department of public education;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the
findings and conclusions be presented to the legislative education study
committee by November 2003; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
copies of this memorial be transmitted to the members of the state board of education.