HOUSE BILL 127

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005

INTRODUCED BY

Ray Begaye

FOR THE INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

AN ACT

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR ADVANCING THE INDIAN EDUCATION ACT AS IT RELATES TO BILINGUAL EDUCATION.

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

     Section 1. APPROPRIATION.--

          A. Two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000)

is appropriated from the general fund to the public education department for expenditure in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 for assessment of existing Native American bilingual language programs and establishment of a pilot program for training Native American teachers to digitally generate instructional materials. The department shall contract with an agency that has demonstrated success in assessing Native American language programs and in developing effective strategic plans and training activities to improve teaching of indigenous languages. The agency shall collect and analyze data, identify "best practices" that have proven effective and create a strategic plan to be implemented by the bilingual multicultural education unit of the public education department. The appropriation shall be used as follows:     (1) two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for an assessment of existing Native American language programs in the sixteen public school districts and ninety-two schools with Native American language programs for the purpose of:

     (a) evaluating the effectiveness of current instructional programs; and

     (b) recommending methods to assist in increasing the level of proficiency in indigenous languages; and

     (2) fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for a pilot program to train teachers in the sixteen public school districts and ninety-two schools with Native American language programs to use newly emerging technologies, including digital media to generate instructional materials, to reproduce the materials and to implement the materials in Native American bilingual programs.

          B. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert to the general fund.

- 2 -