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

SPONSOR T. A. Garcia

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/23/07

HB 866

SHORT TITLE Raton Virtual Classroom

SB

_____________________________________________________

ANALYST __McOlash_________

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$305.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 209/HB 201, SB 78/HB 62 and SB561/HB 584.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 866 appropriates $305,000 from the General Fund to PED for expenditure in FY 2008

to implement a distance-learning alternative school curriculum through a virtual classroom in

Raton Public Schools.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $305,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the

General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Distance learning has been identified as an essential element of rural schools. Without the means to

deliver quality eLearning courses, students encounter significant obstacles in pursuing individual career

goals. Student recovery, advancement and concurrent enrollment opportunities exist within online

House Bill 866 – Page

2

programs, enabling rural districts in better-serving student needs.

The Raton Public schools received a PED grant (2006-2007) and has already implemented the Raton

Individual Distance Education Academy (IDEA). According to the IDEA website, the program’s

mission is to provide resources and support to parents who have elected to educate their children in

their home or in another alternative setting. It appears that the IDEA project is separate from the virtual

classroom proposed in HB 866.

This virtual classroom request and IDEA could be in conflict with the Pre K-20 Executive Initiative,

The Innovative, Digital, Education and Learning, New Mexico (IDEAL-NM) Project. IDEAL-NM’s

goal is to create a sustainable, statewide eLearning support program that will allow public education,

higher education, and state government agencies to better serve the needs of all New Mexico learners.

It is an outgrowth of work currently being undertaken by the New Mexico Learning Network (formerly

New Mexico Virtual College) and has as its first initiative the creation of the New Mexico Cyber

Academy, a statewide program providing all middle and high schools the option to obtain high quality

courses online for their students, with initial consideration for rural districts. The NM Cyber Academy

will also coordinate with Regional Education Cooperatives (REC). The REC 3 in Raton will receive

funding through the IDEAL-NM project.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

CS/S 209/CS/H 201 enacting the Cyber Academy Act.

CS/S 78/CS/H 62, Education Technology Deficiency Correction.

SB 561/HB 584 High School Redesign,

Section G requiring 2009- 2010 students must have one

of the following units for graduation – Advanced Placement, Dual Credit or Distance Ed

class.

Relates to the Executive’s Public School Support Recommendation of $6,000.0 for the

Educational Technology Fund and $8,501.6 for IDEAL-NM (additional funds are included in the

HED budget).

ALTERNATIVES

Raton Public Schools will have the option of participating in the statewide Cyber Academy

currently being proposed.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1.

Will IDEAL- NM act as a coordinating agency for the various programs in a number of

districts (e.g., Raton, Rio Rancho, and Albuquerque).

BM/mt