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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

1/30/2007

2/17/2007 HB

SHORT TITLE Middle School International Film Education

SB 79/aSEC

ANALYST Aguilar

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$400.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY07

FY08

FY09 3 Year

Total Cost

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

$4.8

$4.8

$9.6 Recurring General

Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SEC Amendment

Senate Education Committee amendment to Senate Bill 79 removes provisions for the

development of a curriculum using international films to one that helps New Mexico middle

school students acquire

knowledge and skills needed for success in the twenty first century while

expanding basic proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies and critical thinking.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The provisions contained in this bill are similar to a special appropriations request for “Journeys

in Film" which utilizes this same language in describing the program. An appropriation for

Senate Bill 79/aSEC – Page

2

“Journeys in Film" is included in the General Appropriations Act.

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Bill 79 appropriates $400 thousand from the general fund to the Public Education

Department to contract for a program to develop and implement an interdisciplinary international

education curriculum using international films for middle school students statewide.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The department notes that managing the contract will require some human resource support and

estimates this additional support at $4.8 thousand.

The appropriation of $400 thousand contained in the bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall

revert to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Public Education Department reports Global Awareness is a key component of 21

st

century

learning, as defined by the Partnership for 21

st

Century Skills. Global awareness promotes

understanding, tolerance and acceptance of ethnic, cultural, religious and personal differences as

they play out in communities and workplaces. It also helps people work through the

complexities of different points of view that spring from different parts of the world.

These observations underscore both the importance of international education and the need for

access to high-quality, standards-based interdisciplinary curriculum which are not currently

available. Film provides a promising medium for developing the required understandings.

Research in both educational theory and cognitive psychology tells us that visual learning is

among the very best methods for teaching students of all ages how to think and how to learn.

Visual learning techniques - graphical ways of working with ideas and presenting information -

teach students to clarify their thinking, and to process, organize and prioritize new information.

PA/mt