Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports
if they are used for other purposes.
Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).
Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and
attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Garcia, M.H.
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/30/08
1/31/08 HB 302/aHEC
SHORT TITLE Las Cruces High School Summer Pilot Project
SB
ANALYST Cox
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$500.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Public Education (PED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of HEC Amendment
The House Education Committee amendments provide ‘Clean-up’ language to this Bill. This
language does not substantially change this Bill. An important change in the Amendment is the
‘reversion’ provision of this Bill. This Amendment now states that any remaining funds shall not
revert to the General Fund at the end of Fiscal Year 2009. [(See “On page 2, line 24, after
“shall’, insert “not".)]
Synopsis of Original Bill
PED states:
House Bill #302 appropriates five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) from the General Fund to
design a four-year summer intensive instruction pilot project at Las Cruces High School (LCHS).
¾
The pilot project will provide funding to support intensive technology-based supplementary
instruction in rigorous summer programs in English and mathematics for grades nine through
eleven.
¾
The pilot is to determine the efficacy of summer intensive instruction on student achievement
during the next school year and the effect the program has on the school dropout rate.
pg_0002
House Bill 302/aHEC – Page
2
¾
Each intensive instructional program shall be at least four weeks in duration.
¾
The pilot project will also include an annual evaluation phase that tracks LCHS students and
their academic achievement and provides other data sufficient to determine the efficacy of the
pilot.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
PED States:
PED may be required to designate staff to award the project, flow the funds, monitor the flow
through of and expenditures of monies and monitor the program and evaluation of the program.
PED would be able to monitor these funds with existing staff.
The appropriation of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) 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.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
PED also notes:
The dropout rate for Las Cruces Public Schools is 1.6% as compared to 12% for the State (New
Mexico Public Education Department, 2005-06).
According to the National Center for School Engagement (National Center for School Engagement,
2008):
•
Truancy has been identified as one of the early warning signs of students headed for potential
delinquent activity, social isolation or educational failure via suspension, expulsion or dropping
out.
•
Truancy is considered to be one of the top 10 problems facing schools. 80% of dropouts were
chronically truant before dropping out. 90% of youths in detention for delinquent acts were
chronically truant.
•
If the attendance rate continues to decrease, the graduation rate will be affected. Further,
dropout and truancy have been correlated to an increase in juvenile crime.
•
The underlying issues for dropout and truancy are often associated with social, family and
health barriers that prevent students from achieving. These barriers contribute to closing the
achievement gap.
According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (Introduction, 2007):
•
After-school hours are a critical time for youth. That time can represent either an opportunity to
learn and grow, through quality after-school programs, or a time of risk to youths’ health and
safety.
•
The after-school hours are the peak time for juvenile crime and risky behaviors such as alcohol
and drug use.
•
Most experts agree that after-school programs offer a healthy and positive alternative. These
programs keep kids safe, improve academic achievement and help relieve the stresses on
today's working families. They can serve as important youth violence prevention and
intervention strategies.
•
Most youth do not have access to after-school programs. Every day, at least eight million
pg_0003
House Bill 302/aHEC – Page
3
children and youth are left alone and unsupervised once the school bell rings.
•
While nine in 10 Americans think that all youth should have access to after-school programs,
two-thirds say it is difficult to find programs locally.
•
With more and more children growing up in homes with two working parents or a single
working parent, today's families can benefit from the safe, structured learning opportunities that
after-school programs provide.
At the three comprehensive public high schools in Las Cruces (NMSBA, 2006-07):
•
56% of the ninth graders and 50% of the 11
th
graders scored at a level below proficient on the
New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment (NMSBA) in Reading.
•
65% of the ninth graders and 68% of the 11
th
graders scored at a level below proficient on the
New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment (NMSBA) in Math.
•
44% of the students who went on to college in New Mexico needed to take at least one remedial
course.
References:
National Center for School Engagement, Virginia Truancy Prevention Institute. Truancy, Dropouts and
Delinquency: Lessons, Costs and Strategies. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from
http://www.pubapps.vcu.edu/soe/csc/Virginia%20Truancy%20Final9-15-05.ppt#407,2,What is NCSE.
National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, After School Programs Fact Sheet. Introduction,
2007. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from
http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/facts/afterschool.asp#top
New Mexico Public Education Department, Drop out Report, 2006.
New Mexico Standards Based Assessment, 2006-07.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
Relates to HB 302 and HB304.
All three bills -- HB 301, HB 302 and HB 304 -- would establish a four- year pilot for dropout
prevention in Las Cruces public schools:
.
HB 301 focuses the pilot on academic improvement strategies;
.
HB 302 focuses the pilot on summer intensive instruction; and
.
HB 304 focuses the pilot on extracurricular activities
ALTERNATIVES
As per PED analysis:
.
Combine HB 301, HB 302 and HB 304 to allow for a single comprehensive dropout pilot
project.
.
Allow funding to extend for all four years of the pilot.
.
Include rural and alternative schools, schools with higher concentrations of American Indian
students and schools with graduation rates lower than LCHS in the pilot.
.
Specify the piloting of research-based interventions at LCHS. Starting with interventions that
have documented protocols and a prior record of success will provide some assurance that the
interventions can be faithfully and successfully implemented in other New Mexico schools.
.
Provide for an independent evaluation of the interventions. An experienced program evaluator
can provide valuable assistance and objectivity by selecting standardized, valid and reliable
measures for determining the effectiveness of the pilot project. The evaluator can also gather
information about the level of fidelity in providing the interventions and gather information
pg_0004
House Bill 302/aHEC – Page
4
about students that discontinue enrollment. As data are not collected statewide by the PED on
student transfers out of state or into private schools, home schools or other educational settings,
collecting this data will be critical to determining if students are dropping out. The funding for
the pilot should provide for this evaluation, which should include a report with
recommendations.
PRC/mt:bb