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

SPONSOR Nava

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/2/06

HB

SHORT TITLE NM Golden Apple Program

SB 505

ANALYST Hoffmann

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$500.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates House Bill 669.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 505 appropriates $500,000 from the general fund to the Public Education Department

to pay for a Golden Apple Program in New Mexico.

According to the Golden Apple Foundation, the Golden Apple Program recruits, prepares, and

mentors new teachers; creates model programs and partnerships; and encourages all teachers to

attain ever-higher levels of excellence and commitment to teaching as their life’s work. Individ-

ual Golden Apple programs distribute awards to selected teachers that may include training and a

stipend.

In New Mexico, the program has provided supplementary mentoring to Level I teachers to assist

them in using the 3-Tiered Licensing system as a tool for increasing teaching effectiveness and

career progress. The program provides training and preparation for mentors to further enable

them to provide this support to beginning teachers in their classrooms and in their professional

development. It also provides support to teachers just entering the profession through their par-

ticipation in a comprehensive summer program which includes collaborative teaching, supervi-

sion by mentors, reflective seminars and instruction on the 3-Tiered Teacher Licensing system

Senate Bill 505 – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $500,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This program was funded for fiscal year 2006 in the General Appropriation act. According to the

Public Education Department, the funds appropriated for the Golden Apple Program were rolled

into the Professional Development Fund. Secretary of Education Dr. Veronica C. Garcia deter-

mined the amount to be expended on individual programs from the fund. The amount of funding

appropriated by the Senate Bill 505 is a 78% increase for FY 07.

DUPLICATION AND RELATIONSHIP

House Bill 669 also appropriates $500,000 for the same purpose.

According to the Public Education Department, the appropriation contained in Senate Bill 505

could be related to the Teacher Professional Development Fund request in the Executive recom-

mendation.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The Public Education Department notes that even though this appropriation complies with Arti-

cle IV, Section 31 of the New Mexico Constitution, which prohibits a direct educational appro-

priation to any person, corporation, association, institution or community not under the direct

control of the state, the flowing of public monies by a state agency to an outside entity must

comply with the Procurement Code. This means that the PED would either have to issue an RFP

or be able to justify a sole source award to Golden Apple. And even if it transfers the money to a

state university or school district by means of a joint powers agreement or memorandum of un-

derstanding, the transferee would be subject to compliance with the Procurement Code.

CH/yr