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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Cisneros
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/4/06
HB
SHORT TITLE Taos Schools Reading Program
SB 647
ANALYST Hoffmann
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY06
FY07
$146.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates to House Bill 612 and House Bill 225.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Public Education Department (PED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 647 appropriates $146,000 from the general fund to the Public Education Department
for a reading program in Taos Middle School in the Taos Municipal Schools.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $146,000 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.
According to the Public Education Department, Reading First, which provides reading programs
in eligible schools throughout the state, demonstrates the following necessary costs associated
with creation and implementation of a reading program: reading specialist @ $71.5 (salary and
benefits), $150.0 core reading, intervention and supplemental materials, $100.0 professional de-
velopment, $5.0 office set up and equipment, totaling $227.5 per school. Funding provided
through SB 647 for a middle school reading program does not correlate with the needed funding
pg_0002
House Bill 647 – Page
2
for a Reading First program. The PED could absorb the cost of making this appropriation into
the work of the early childhood bureau
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
This specific line-item proposal was not included in the Executive budget recommendation or the
LFC’s budget recommendation.
According to the Public Education Department, Taos Middle School (grades 6-8) did not make
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading for all students in 2004-2005. The Taos Middle
School 2004-2005 AYP report shows 75% of Anglo students proficient in reading, 42% of His-
panic, 34% of Native American, 27% of English Language Learners, 12% of Special Education
and 48% of Economically Disadvantaged students’ proficient.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
According to the Public Education Department, implementation of a middle school reading pro-
gram at Taos Middle School could impact increased reading achievement for all students and
help to close the existing achievement gap.
RELATIONSHIP
House Bill 612 appropriates $147,000 for a reading program at Taos middle schools.
House Bill 225 appropriates $5,000,000 for reading programs in public schools.
CH/nt