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

SPONSOR Campos

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/14/07

HB

SHORT TITLE Santa Fe Schools Special Programs

SB 964

ANALYST Guambaña

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$300.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the Executive recommendation of $7,500,000 for the School Improvement Framework

and $2,500,000 for the Schools in Need of Improvement Fund

.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 924 appropriates $300,000 from the General Fund to PED for the development of

two special programs in the Santa Fe Public Schools.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $300,000 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.

Per PED, three Santa Fe schools are receiving a total of $512,700 through the Priority Schools

Bureau’s current initiatives. Schools receiving services and their corresponding funding amounts

are as follows: Ortiz Elementary, $171,727.00; Alameda Middle School, $168,904.00; and

Ramirez Thomas Elementary, $172,069.00.

Senate Bill 964– Page

2

The Legislative Finance Committee remains concerned with funding initiatives outside the

funding formula as it tends to disequalize school funding and diverts funding away from core

educational needs.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

PED states that $82,000 of the appropriation would be allocated for a professional development

program for middle and high school teachers who will promote training to improve student-

teacher relations district-wide. The remaining $248,000 of the appropriation would be allocated

for a program designed to close the achievement gap through after-school programs.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

PED maintains that this bill addresses the public school performance measures relating to core

academic subjects taught by K-12 teachers and additionally to the percent of students who meet

or exceed proficiency on standards-based assessments in reading/language, arts, and math.

RELATIONSHIP

PED notes the relationship with the Executive recommendation of $7,500,000 for the School

Improvement Framework and $2,500,000 for the Schools in Need of Improvement Fund

.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The bill does not address transportation for students who need this service in order to participate.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

PED states that, of the 377,946 school-age children in New Mexico:

•

19%, or 71,810 school-age children 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 would be likely to participate.

PED furnishes substantial evidence to demonstrate the significant implications of student

participation in after-school programs including:

•

Higher school attendance and higher language redesignation rates;

•

Increased levels of self-esteem, better emotional adjustment, and improved peers

relationships;

•

Improved grades and work habits as well as better behavior in school;

•

Increased opportunities in leadership and life skill training; and

•

A greater sense of belonging to the community.

PED comments that funding in this bill is insufficient to provide services to the number of

schools not making Adequate Yearly Progree(AYP). Further, the bill does not address the needs

of students not making AYP in schools that are not Schools in Need of Improvement.

Senate Bill 964– Page

3

PED additionally notes that attendance in after-school programs is difficult because there is not a

requirement to attend. This is a particular issue in middle and high school where students have

other competing commitments after school.

PED also contends that professional development will need to follow their approved Professional

Development Framework that was submitted for Title II funding.

AG/nt