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committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports

if they are used for other purposes.

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

SPONSOR Berry

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/25/2008

HB 255

SHORT TITLE High School Vocational Training

SB

ANALYST Aguilar

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$2,000.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

Duplicates SB 170

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY08

FY09

FY10 3 Year

Total Cost

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

$86.0

$86.0

$172.0 Recurring General

Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 255 appropriates $2 million from the general fund to Public Education Department

for the purpose of funding industrial arts, career-technical and vocational training programs in

high schools.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $2 million contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

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

general fund.

House Bill 255 – Page

2

The LFC remains concerned with funding initiatives outside of the funding formula as it tends to

disequalize school funding and diverts funding away from core educational needs.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Funding for career-technical education is included in the state equalization guarantee distribution

to districts.

Thousands of comprehensive high schools, vocational and technical high schools, area

vocational centers, and community colleges offer career and technical education programs.

According the United States Department of Education, virtually every high school student takes

at least one career and technical education course, and one in four students takes three or more

courses in a single program area. One-third of college students are involved in career and

technical programs, and as many as 40 million adults engage in short-term postsecondary

occupational training.

It is unclear how these funds will be distributed and how much of an impact it will have on

student achievement.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

PED estimate a cost of $86 thousand will be required annually to pay for the cost of hiring an

employee to administer this program.

PA/bb