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:

Jennings

 

DATE TYPED:

02/25/03

 

HB

 

 

SHORT TITLE:

Importance of Character in Schools

 

SB

567

 

 

ANALYST:

Segura

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

$440.0

 

 

Recurring

General Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

Responses Received From

 

State Department of Education (SDE)

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of Bill

 

Senate Bill 567 appropriates $440.0 from the general fund to the State Department of Public Education to support programs in New Mexico that promote the importance of character in schools and communities.

 

The bill contains an emergency clause.

 

     Significant Issues

 

This bill addresses the findings from a recent report by the Josephson Institute of Ethics that found incidents of cheating, stealing and lying by high school students have increased over the past decade.  According to SDE, the survey based on student responses from 12,000 high school students revealed that from 1992 to 2002 the number of students who:

 

  • cheating on an exam increased from 61% to 74%;
  • stole something from a store during the last 12 months increased from 31% to 38%;
  • lied to their teachers increased from 69% to 83%; and
  • lied to their parents increased from 83% to 93%.

 

Clearly, the SDE analysis concludes, character building\education by parents, communities and schools is needed.  (See OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES)

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

The appropriation of $440.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2004 shall revert to the general fund.

 

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

The SDE reports that,

 

From 1995 to 1998, New Mexico was funded for the Improvement of Education: Partnerships in Character Education to establish a pilot using CHARACTER COUNTS! as the delivery vehicle for character education.  The pilot project provided communities around the state with a model of school/community partnerships for addressing character development throughout all learning environments.  As a result of the successful pilot projects, interest in establishing similar programs throughout New Mexico has increased and currently over 300 schools and communities have developed and implemented character education programs.   Most of these programs are using CHARACTER COUNTS! as a framework for their program.   

 

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

 

1.                  How were the Character Counts pilot projects funded?

2.                  What evidence was used to determine the pilot projects were successful?

3.                  Is the flow of state funds the way these programs can be initiated and continued?

 

LRB/prr