NOTE:  As provided in LFC policy, this report is intended only for use by the standing finance committees of the legislature.  The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used for other purposes.

 

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F I S C A L   I M P A C T   R E P O R T

 

 

SPONSOR:

Regensberg

 

DATE TYPED:

3/4/03

 

HB

800/aHEC

 

SHORT TITLE:

Require Land Grant & Native American History

 

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST:

L. Baca

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

NFI

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

Conflicts with: HB 212, Public School Reforms

                         HB 837 Require NM History for High School Graduation

                         SB 149, Graduation Requirements

                         SB 230, Public School Reforms

                         SB 472, Family Communication Requirement

                         SB 488, Require Health Credit for Graduation

(All of these bills address graduation requirements, but none require Land Grant and Native American History.)

 

Relates to:         HB 180, Align Public School Curricula

                          HB 186, Advanced Placement Program

                          HB 150a, Indian Education Act

                          SB 115a, Indian Education Act

                          SB 149a, Graduation Requirements

                          SB 396, Multicultural Educational Materials

                          SB 472, Family Communication Graduation Requirement

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

Responses Received From

State Department of Education (SDE)

 

SUMMARY

   

    Synopsis of HEC Amendment

 

The amendments adopted by the House Education Committee strike the Land Grant andNative American History and, instead, require one unit of New Mexico history for all ninth graders beginning in 2005-2006.

 

 

     Synopsis of Original Bill

 

House Bill 800 amends graduation requirements beginning in 2004-2005 school year to add one unit in New Mexico Land Grant History and Native American History; reduces the number of electives to 8; reconciles certain previous amendments to the same section by changing “physical fitness” to “ and “physical education” and “R.O.T.C.”  to reserve Officer Training Corps’ and provides that, with the approval of the local board, the marching band may be used to satisfy the physical education graduation requirement.

 

     Significant Issues

 

According to the SDE analysis, the State Board of Education’s content standards and benchmarks require that students gain a knowledge of New Mexico land grant issues in grades 7 through 12.  Knowledge of Native American History and issues are also included throughout the American History and government strands of this statute.

 

The examples of content standards and benchmarks cited in the SDE analysis include:

 

  • students are required to have knowledge of important person, events and turning points in World, American and New Mexico History; and
  • students are required to know the social and political forces that impact U.S. history and world history to include “land grant and treaty issues unresolved to the present day and continuing to impact relations among the state’s social groups and political entities.

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

School district will have to obtain the instructional materials needed for the course along with the expense of developing viable curricula and support activities.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

 

The effective implementation date allows school districts time to develop curricula, obtain materials, find qualified teachers, and help students work the new course requirement into their graduation program of studies.  Finding qualified teachers, however, could pose serious problems because of the many legal and technical issues revolving around land grants and the sensitivity of Native American groups regarding the  “accurate” portrayal of their history and culture.

 

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

Land grant issues are local to New Mexico and the Southwest.  Finding suitable materials will be a problem.  Obtaining quality, readily accessible and affordable materials for Native American History could prove difficult, especially if steps are taken to ensure that the materials used are not objectionable to local Native American groups.

 

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

 

1.                  Will Native American tribes be involved in developing the Native American History curriculum and in reviewing materials that may be used in the course?

2.                  Will those assigned to teach Native American History be required to have training in the history of the social groups being studied?

3.                  Land grant issues can be highly technical and emotional.  Will the State Board consider requiring endorsements for those assigned to teach this unit?

4.                  Are instructional materials readily available, accessible and affordable?

 

LRB/ls/njw