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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

1/25/07

HB

SHORT TITLE NMSU Early Childhood Research and Development SB 41

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 HB 139

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

Senate Bill 41 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 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 Senate Bill 41 is not part of the Department’s request.

Senate Bill 41 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Analysis from HED reflects that funding from Senate Bill 41 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

Senate Bill 41 is a duplicate of House Bill 139.

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 Senate Bill 41 will exclusively fund salaries

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

Institute’s stated initiatives.

AG/nt