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

SPONSOR Campos

DATE TYPED 02-25-05 HB

SHORT TITLE NM Highlands Bilingual Education & History

SB 827

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$512.3

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico Highlands University in the General Appropriations Act.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Response Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

No Response Received From

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 827 – Making an Appropriation to the Board of Regents of New Mexico Highlands

University for Bilingual Education and New Mexico History Materials – appropriates $512,330

from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico Highlands University for expendi-

ture in FY06 and subsequent fiscal years to prepare, compile and distribute bilingual education

materials, including a book on New Mexico history, for students in kindergarten through twelfth

grade. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not

revert to the general fund.

Senate Bill 827 -- Page 2

Significant Issues

PED suggests that there are a number of related factors associated with this legislation:

•

HB212 (approved by the 2003 Legislature) requires “students in Grades 1 through 8 to be

instructed in a second language (other than English)” so that they may become proficient in

more than one language;

•

since 1973, New Mexico’s Bilingual Multicultural Education Act has provided financial

support for programs that allow students to become proficient in two languages – English

and a second language –and to succeed academically. In FY 2004-2005, the state’s Bilin-

gual Multicultural Education program served 57,965 students;

•

the predominant second language in state bilingual education programs is Spanish (Source:

New Mexico Bilingual & Multicultural Education Bureau, 2005). The Spanish language is

the second most commonly spoken language in the United States, and it is second in the

world as a language of business (Source: Government of Spain. Use of Spanish Language,

c2000);

•

for the 2004-2005 academic school year, 174,165 students (53.3centof all students) attend-

ing New Mexico public schools are of Hispanic descent (Source: ADS 40

th

Day Report,

c2004);

•

currently, students in Bilingual Multicultural Education programs need more instructional

materials in the Spanish language in many subject areas, including New Mexico history

and culture; and

•

to date, there is one history of New Mexico published in Spanish (c2005) that is targeted

for readers in Grades 6-12. No other titles on New Mexico history are available in Spanish

in New Mexico public schools, nor have such titles been recommended to PED’s Bilingual

and Multicultural Education Bureau.

This project is not included in the CHE 2005-2006 Higher Education Funding Recommendation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $512,330 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

These funds are expenditure in FY06 and subsequent fiscal years, and any unexpended or unen-

cumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

New Mexico Highlands University would retain oversight of this initiative.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico Highlands University in the General Appropriations Act.

BFW/lg