HOUSE BILL 104

46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2003

INTRODUCED BY

W. Ken Martinez







AN ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION; CREATING THE DROPOUT PREVENTION PILOT PROGRAM; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.



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

Section 1. A new section of the Public School Code is enacted to read:

"[NEW MATERIAL] TELEPHONES--NOTIFICATION OF PARENTS--UNEXCUSED ABSENCES.--

A. The department of education shall establish a dropout prevention pilot program at the ten public high schools with the highest dropout rates.

B. The dropout prevention pilot program shall run from July 1, 2003 through July 1, 2007.

C. The department of education shall install a telephone in every classroom of each of the ten public high schools described in Subsection A of this section.

D. The high school principal of each of the ten public high schools described in Subsection A of this section shall provide each teacher within the school with the home and work telephone numbers of the parent or legal guardian of each student. If a student does not attend class, the teacher shall call the student's parent or legal guardian to notify the parent or legal guardian of the absence.

E. The parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled in one of the high schools described in Subsection A of this section shall provide to the principal both the work and home telephone numbers of the parent or legal guardian.

F. The department of education shall seek possible private enterprise government partnerships with telephone companies to minimize the cost of installing telephones.

G. The department of education shall report to the legislative education study committee on changes in the dropout rates of the participating schools by December 1 of each year that the dropout prevention pilot program is in effect."

Section 2. APPROPRIATION.--Two hundred forty-six thousand dollars ($246,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the state department of public education for expenditure in fiscal year 2004 to install telephones in the classrooms of the high schools participating in the dropout prevention pilot program. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2004 shall revert to the general fund.

- 3 -