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

SPONSOR Hall

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/18/08

HB 16

SHORT TITLE UNM Communication Disorders Programs

SB

ANALYST Haug

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Companion to HB 17

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

University of New Mexico (UNM)

New Mexico State University (UNM)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 16 appropriates $250.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the

University of New Mexico to expand student clinical studies and practicum programs for

communication disorders in the department of speech and hearing sciences.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

The HED states that a collaborative request from UNM and NMSU for $600,000 was submitted

by NMSU to the New Mexico Higher Education Department for review and is not included in

the Department’s funding recommendation for FY09.

The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC

classifies this project as a “breach" of the Higher Education Formula. Reasons for this

House Bill 16 – Page

2

classification decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education Department

Review of Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table 4, p74.)

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

UNM states Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are central to the treatment of such growing

problems as autism, learning/reading disabilities, brain injuries, and ageing. There is a national

shortage of SLPs, and New Mexico is in a crisis stage: one recent survey found that New Mexico

was one of the three states with the greatest shortage. School districts are experiencing

significant vacancies. A survey in late September, 2007, showed that the Las Cruces Public

Schools were currently advertising 14 vacant positions, the Gasden District 8 vacant positions,

and the Albuquerque Public Schools District was listing 21 vacancies. The shortage is equally

acute, if not worse, in smaller school districts throughout NM. We are requesting the resources to

increase our entering class each year by eight students; this includes additional faculty and

tuition and stipend support for some students. This support is essential in order to attract students

from rural, reservation, and/or low-income areas who are most likely to return to those critical

areas, many of whom will have to forgo other employment to continue their education. Students

receiving the financial support to participate in this expanded program will be required to work

in a public school setting in a high-need area of New Mexico for 3 years after graduation.

According to NMSU the Communication Disorders Program (Dept. of Special

Education/Communication Disorders Department) at New Mexico State University and the Dept.

of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of New Mexico are working to address the

shortage collaboratively using a two-fold approach that involves 1) expansion of existing,

campus-based programs and 2) extension of current programs to distance education.

The two programs are submitting very similar but separate proposals (each for $250.0),

developed in consultation and to be conducted collaboratively. (See Companionship below.)

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMSU states that this request involves a collaborative effort between the New Mexico State

University (NMSU) Program in Communication Disorders and the University of New Mexico

(UNM) Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and will require joint administration. This

will be particularly necessary for aspects of the program involving learning through distance

education. In addition, each student’s program of study must be consistent with the accreditation

requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as outlined by the Council

on Academic Accreditation. Students must also achieve the appropriate education, knowledge

and skills as outlined by the Council for Clinical Certification in Speech-Language Pathology

(CFCC) and the New Mexico Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practices Board.

COMPANIONSHIP

House Bill 16 is a companion bill to House Bill 17 -

NMSU Communication Disorders Programs

which appropriates the NMSU portion of the funding for this collaborative effort.

GH/bb