HOUSE BILL 62

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Rick Miera

FOR THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE

AN ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION; PROVIDING OVERSIGHT FOR ALLOCATIONS FROM THE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCY CORRECTION FUND; MAKING APPROPRIATIONS.

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

     Section 1. Section 22-15A-11 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2005, Chapter 222, Section 2) is amended to read:

     "22-15A-11. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCIES--CORRECTION.--

          A. No later than September 1, 2005, the bureau, with the advice of the council and the office of the chief information officer, shall define and develop minimum educational technology adequacy standards to supplement the adequacy standards developed by the public school capital outlay council for school districts to use to identify outstanding serious deficiencies in educational technology infrastructure.

          B. A school district shall use the standards to complete a self-assessment of the outstanding educational technology deficiencies within the school district and provide cost projections to correct the outstanding deficiencies.

          C. The bureau shall develop a methodology for prioritizing projects that will correct the deficiencies.

          D. After a public hearing and to the extent that money is available in the educational technology deficiency correction fund, the bureau shall approve allocations from the fund on the established priority basis and, working with the school district and pursuant to the Procurement Code, enter into contracts to correct the deficiencies.

          E. No allocation shall be made pursuant to this section unless:

                (1) the method for prioritizing projects developed by the bureau has been reviewed and approved by the council;

                (2) the school district has agreed to consult and coordinate with the public school facilities authority before installing any educational technology infrastructure;

                (3) the council has approved the proposed allocation; and

                (4) for the 2009 and subsequent fiscal years, the initial assessment required in the Technology for Education Act has been verified by an independent third party as determined in consultation with the public school capital outlay council.

          [E.] F. In entering into contracts to correct deficiencies pursuant to this section, the bureau shall include such terms and conditions as necessary to ensure that the state money is expended in the most prudent manner possible consistent with the original purpose."

     Section 2. APPROPRIATIONS--EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEFICIENCIES--UPGRADES.--

          A. Twenty-seven million dollars ($27,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the educational technology deficiency correction fund for expenditure in fiscal year 2007 and subsequent fiscal years to make allocations to correct serious deficiencies in educational technology infrastructure pursuant to the Technology for Education Act. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.

          B. Twenty-four million dollars ($24,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the public education department for expenditure in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 to make distributions to school districts to replace functionally obsolete computers and network devices in accordance with the statewide plan for the integration of educational technology into the public schools. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

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