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

SPONSOR Ezzell

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/19/08

HB 45

SHORT TITLE CYFD Roswell Science Festival Support

SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$27.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates, Relates to, Conflicts with, Companion to

Duplicates Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 45 appropriates twenty-seven thousand from the general fund to Children, Youth and

Families Department to contract with the city of Roswell’s recreation department to coordinate

an educational science festival for fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-grade and other gifted students in

southeastern New Mexico. The festival is to include exhibits, workshops, and hands-on

activities and demonstrations from state or national scientific organizations or museums.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of twenty-seven thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the

general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2009 shall

revert to the general fund.

House Bill 45 – Page

2

This bill is not part of CYFD's request or the Executive recommendation.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Roswell science festival for upper elementary students in southeastern New Mexico began

seven years ago by a parent organization to highlight engaging activities and exhibits for

students. Museums and scientific organizations (such as Johnson Space Center, the Science

Place, Bureau of Land Management and the oil industry) send exhibits and activities to enrich

the educational opportunities of those students. Six to 700 students attend and many of these

students are bused to Roswell. The main purpose of the funding would be to support busing the

students and transporting the exhibits.

CYFD received an appropriation last year with a similar purpose. The bill requires CYFD to

contract with the City of Roswell to coordinate this educational science festival.

According to the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 45% of New Mexico's

fourth graders scored "below basic" on standardized science tests. New Mexico's average score

was eight points lower than the national average. It is generally accepted that educational

science festivals support and encourage children's curiosity about and interest in science. As

New Mexico is one of the leading states in the nation in both applied and pure research, and

home to two federal research laboratories as well as the nation's first spaceport, increasing the

number of New Mexican youth who pursue a career in science and technology will bolster New

Mexico's position as a technological forerunner.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD has no performance measures related to scientific education or educational fairs.

This legislation supports Goal 2 of PED’s A Strategic Action Plan for Advancing Math and

Science Education in New Mexico 2007-2010: “Raise public support and awareness of the

importance of science and math to New Mexico’s economic health and security" and student

proficiency in science, as well as other standards and benchmarks for science.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD would be responsible for developing and implementing a contract or contracts with the

City of Roswell's recreation department to disburse the funds as intended. If enacted, CYFD will

provide contracts administration with existing resources.

The science festival in Roswell, called Goddard Days, has been a successful event for several

years. The festival’s administrative infrastructure is in place, as the gifted students parents’

association has been the primary organizer in the past, in cooperation with the Roswell

Recreation Department.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

None known.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

None identified.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The festival is a free hands-on exhibit and science discovery festival, in the Roswell Convention

House Bill 45 – Page

3

Center, designed to teach and delight with exhibits covering the topics of Physics, Chemistry and

Biology.

In previous years, the International Hall of Fame Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico exhibited

a variety of Space Exhibits including but not limited to Space Suit protection, the International

Space Station, Mercury Capsule, a Tour of the New Solar System, with topics like: Galileo,

Cassini Space Probe, Mars, Stardust Mission and many others. Explora! Science Center and

Children's Museum of Albuquerque exhibits emphasized the fun of learning and critical thinking

with such apparatuses as Jacob's Ladder, a Tornado Box, Lighting rods and many more.

Many other activities such as an evening of star gazing with the Roswell Astronomy Club, a

rocket building workshop and a community Rocket Launch with the Roswell Parks and

Recreation Department. Extracurricular academic opportunities provide alternative activities to

gang involvement and are more generally associated with prevention of juvenile justice

involvement. Science and mathematics skills are increasingly important factors in the national

job market and for statewide economic growth.

CYFD states that: involvement in extracurricular academics has been identified as a “resiliency

factor" that, in conjunction with other resiliencies, serves to protect youth from other risk factors

in their social environment.

As a growing community, Roswell has many students eager to learn about science but not many

resources like museums, planetariums, nature centers, or other science-related business that are

found in more urban areas of the state like Albuquerque, Las Cruces, or Santa Fe. Goddard

Science Days is a community-based festival that seeks to bring the science enrichment resources

to students in Roswell and surrounding communities.

ALTERNATIVES

Appropriate the funding to the Public Education Department, or the Roswell school district, or

the local government division of the Department of Finance and Administration.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

The Roswell city recreation department would have to seek funding from other sources.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

None at this time.

DL/nt