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

SPONSOR M.H. Garcia

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/25/07

HB 139

SHORT TITLE NMSU Early Childhood Research and Development SB

ANALYST Guambaña

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicate of Senate Bill 41

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

Higher Education Department (HED)

Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 139 appropriates $250,000 from the General Fund to Board of Regents of NMSU for

the purpose of the Southwest Institute for Early Childhood Research and Development.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250,000.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 08 shall revert to the

General Fund.

CYFD submits that House Bill 139 is not part of the Department’s request.

House Bill 139 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Analysis from HED reflects that funding from House Bill 139 will be used for:

•

One Institute Director: 12-month position, annual salary of $80,000 plus 29% fringe;

•

One Distance Education Coordinator: 12-month position, annual salary of $55,000 plus

fringe;

•

One Account Tech Supervisor: 12-month position, annual salary of $23,000 plus fringe;

•

One Administrative Secretary: 12-month position, annual salary of $25,000 plus 29%

fringe;

•

Institute Graduate Researcher support: $13,930.

According to HED and NMSU, the Institute would do the following:

•

Develop distance education opportunities for Early Childhood teachers, thereby increas-

ing the academic and professional skills of Early Childhood teachers;

•

Expand research and dissemination of best practices through the creation on an on-line

research journal and resources site;

•

Establish NMSU Children’s Village Laboratory School as a state model for Pre-K educa-

tion;

•

Improve collaboration among New Mexico Early Childhood professionals and commu-

nity agencies;

•

Generate research to reduce the achievement gap for Spanish-speaking children and those

from indigenous communities.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

House Bill 139 is a duplicate of Senate Bill 41.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

NMSU maintains that New Mexico is leading the nation in the development and expansion of a

comprehensive Pre-K program. The specific variable for high quality is Early Childhood teach-

ers trained at the BA and Masters Degree levels.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

According to HED, the $250,000 appropriation from House Bill 139 will exclusively fund sala-

ries and benefits. Are other funding sources intact to enable the implementation and execution of

the Institute’s stated initiatives.

AG/nt