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

SPONSOR Ortiz y Pino

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/15/07

HB

SHORT TITLE

21

st

Century Community Learning Centers

SB 694

ANALYST Hanika Ortiz

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$ 3,000.0

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

$ 4.4

recurring general

fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 150

Duplicates HB 870

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 694 appropriates $3 million from the general fund to the PED to continue and

maintain the quality after-school programs of the Twenty-First Century Community Learning

Centers (21

st

CCLC).

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $3 million contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Senate Bill 694 – Page

2

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

general fund. The Executive Budget Recommendation for FY08 includes $6 million for after-

school enrichment programs.

PED reports that federal funding for 21

st

Century grants is temporary; the programs are expected

to become self-sufficient after a five-year period. There are no state-funded 21

st

Century

Community Learning Center programs.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Federal 21

st

CCLC programs support the creation of community learning centers that

provide academic enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high-

poverty and low-performing schools. The programs help students meet state and local student

standards in core academic subjects such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of

enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and, offers literacy

and other educational services to the families of participating children. There are currently 29

funded programs in New Mexico. There are 19 programs in their fourth year of federal funding

and 10 programs in their third year of federal funding.

21

st

Century grants are awarded for five years. Projects receive a 20% reduction in funding in

year four and a 40% reduction in year five. At the conclusion of the fifth year of funding,

grantees must find or identify new sources of funding to continue their program. The

appropriation will supplement federal 21

st

Century funding statewide up to or near the requested

levels for all funded programs as reflected in their applications.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

PED reports there will be an additional fiscal impact on the Department for administering the

appropriation within the bill.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to SB 150; Albuquerque School After-School Academies

Duplicates HB 870

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

PED provides related information:

Of the 377,946 school-age children in New Mexico:

•

19%, or 71,810, are unsupervised after school;

•

19%, or 71,810, are able to participate in after-school programs;

•

42% of all children not in after-school programs will be likely to participate.

After-school programs empower youth to overcome challenges that they face in their home,

school or community environments and help them develop resilience to reach their full potential.

They provide increased opportunities for children to learn lifelong skills, to remain physically

active and improve their nutrition choices. Moreover, after-school programs can serve to

alleviate child hunger.

Senate Bill 694 – Page

3

After-school programs can produce excellent economic returns by reducing dollars spent on

school failure, crime and health care costs. The annual costs of juvenile crime are in the billions

of dollars if one considers the number of juvenile delinquents that enter a life of crime. In

addition, children and youths are becoming increasingly inactive and overweight. The health

implications of this trend are long term and extremely costly.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Funding to replace federal funds for the 21

st

Century Community Learning Centers will not be

available through this bill.

AHO/mt