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

SPONSOR Robinson

DATE TYPED 02-12-05 HB

SHORT TITLE UNM College Preparatory Mentoring Program

SB 547

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$150.0

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for the University of New Mexico in the General Appropriations

Act.

Relates to SB569

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

No Responses Received From

Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 547 – Making an Appropriation to the University of New Mexico for College Pre-

paratory Mentoring Programs – appropriates $150,000 from the general fund to the Board of Re-

gents of the University of New Mexico for expenditure in FY06 to support the university's spe-

cial programs office implementation of college preparatory mentoring programs for eighth grad-

Senate Bill 547 -- Page 2

ers in the Albuquerque public school system. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remain-

ing at the end of FY06 shall revert to the general fund.

Significant Issues

PED indicates this bill will support a new program at the University of New Mexico (UNM) that

will be modeled after a similar program that UNM has been involved with over the past eight

years with the Department of Labor in California. That partnership established a program to

mentor at-risk California youths during the school year then these students come to New Mexico

for a summer campus experience. Of the students enrolled in this program over the last eight

years, close to 100 percent graduate from high school and 78 percent enroll in postsecondary in-

stitutions.

PED additionally suggests that UNM special programs office is developing this program for APS

eighth graders, and seeks to target 150-200 eighth grade students. Students with high at-risk fac-

tors will receive extra consideration during the application process. A major component of the

program will be to provide each student with a college mentor. The mentors will be of similar

background to the student in order to build upon experiences and the students’ self-esteem.

Mentors will meet with their students throughout the school year. During the summer, all of the

students will be brought to UNM for a two-week campus experience in which students will be

exposed to coursework, work experience in the professional schools and engage in team-building

activities.

PED observes that this program is also looking to build a partnership with the New Mexico De-

partment of Labor working with the Workforce Investment Act.

This program was not included in the CHE’s 2005-2006 Higher Education Funding Recommen-

dation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $150,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the gen-

eral fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The University of New Mexico will retain administrative oversight of this project.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for the University of New Mexico in the General Appropriations

Act.

Relates to SB569 in that SB569 seeks to appropriate $200,000 from the general fund to the

Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico for expenditure in FY06 to provide mentor-

ing, tutoring and study support for Hispanic students through El Centro de la Raza.

Senate Bill 547 -- Page 3

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

PED anticipates that this could become an important initiative for UNM’s outreach efforts to

partner with APS to identify and work with at-risk students at an earlier age in order to increase

the opportunities for these students to acquire a postsecondary education.

BFW/lg