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

SPONSOR Miera

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/02/08

HB 558

SHORT TITLE Educational Assistant Minimum Salaries

SB

ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$33,716.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

State Personnel Office (SPO)

New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

HB 558 appropriates $33.716 million from the General Fund to PED for expenditure in FY09 to

distribute to school districts and charter schools to provide minimum salaries for educational

assistants who meet the educational qualifications provided in Section 22-10A-17.1 NMSA

1978.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $33.716 million contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General

Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall revert to

the General Fund.

The LFC budget recommendations for the PED in FY09 included a 2% salary increase; and, an

additional 1% for a total of 3% for a certain category of employees, which included educational

assistants.

House Bill 558 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

HB 558 sets a minimum salary of $12,000 annually for educational assistants and establishes

minimum salary pay according to educational requirements.

For the 2008-2009 school years, educational assistants who have a minimum of thirty hours

approved academic credit will be given a pay increase to the minimum salary of $12.69. If the

employee holds an associate’s degree or at least sixty hours approved academic credit, the

minimum hourly wage will be $16.91. If the employee holds a bachelors degree or at least ninety

hours approved academic credit, the minimum hourly wage will be $21.13.

At least fifteen hours of approved academic credits shall include courses similar to language arts,

reading or language arts, or reading pedagogy; writing or writing pedagogy; mathematics or

mathematics pedagogy; reading, writing and mathematics readiness; professional education,

classroom management, teaching assistance or special education; and/or early childhood

development. The PED will be expected to promulgate rules to implement the new provisions.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Teacher education programs at institutions in the state of New Mexico offer courses and

programs for educational assistants to attain 2-year and 4-year degrees. According to the No

Child Left Behind Act, in order for educational assistants to become highly qualified they must

have in place an associate degree in a teacher education field of study.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

It is assumed that PED will administer the funds.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

HB 558 is a duplicate bill to SB 484

TECHNICAL ISSUES

NMHED notes that as "Public Education" has been stricken from the statute, yet “department"

remains in the language, it may be unclear which department this legislation refers.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Employee’s performing work as educational assistants will continue to operate under each school

districts classification and pay system.

AHO/bb