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

SPONSOR Arnold-Jones

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/02/08

02/07/08 HJM 32/aHEC

SHORT TITLE Support for New Mexico Project 2012

SB

ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HEC Amendment

The House Education Committee Amendment deletes “enable the necessary departures from

education as usual to education that will" from the intent of the public relations effort that

enables young people and the state to realize a rewarding future; thereby, removing language that

was not flattering of the State’s current educational system.

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Joint Memorial 32 expresses support of New Mexico Project 2012 as an innovative and

critical plan to improve mathematics and science education in New Mexico public schools.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

NFI

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Joint Memorial provides for the following:

•

Education is the key to the twenty-first century, both in terms of economic prosperity and

personal achievement.

•

Today’s "new economy" is knowledge-based, entrepreneurial and globally competitive to

an extent that was almost unimaginable even a decade ago, yet New Mexico students lag

significantly in most measures of elementary and secondary academic success, thus

imperiling both their individual prospects and those of the state.

House Joint Memorial 32/aHEC –

Page 2

•

A competitive, technically capable work force is essential to New Mexico's economic

future and a reasonable level of mathematics and science awareness among its population

is an ever more important part of good civic decision-making.

•

In recent years the state has made significant strides in improving teacher pay, increasing

professional development opportunities and elevating teacher qualification and

certification standards, and the state's mathematics and science curricular standards are

now among the best in the nation.

•

The legislature funded mathematics and science bureau in the public education

department, which the secretary of public education created in July 2006, and the

Mathematics and Science Education Act was passed by the legislature and signed by the

governor in 2007.

•

In 2006-2007, the New Mexico mathematics and science advisory council developed a

strategic action plan for advancing mathematics and science education that will increase

student interest, participation and achievement in mathematics and science; raise public

awareness and support for the importance of mathematics and science in New Mexico's

economic health and security; and establish effective collaborations with internal and

external partners.

•

From that strategic action plan arose "New Mexico project 2012", which is a

comprehensive six-part proposal that uses one of the most important resources the state

has, its nationally and internationally recognized scientists, mathematicians and

engineers.

•

New Mexico project 2012 proposes to use subject-matter experts from the state's national

laboratories and the private sector as New Mexico project 2012 volunteers to give

lectures or other classroom assistance in their areas of expertise and to mentor public

school teachers in mathematics and science in order to improve the knowledge,

competence and confidence of public school students and teachers in mathematics and

science.

•

The goal of New Mexico project 2012 is simple yet dramatic: in five years, New

Mexico's public elementary and secondary school students will be among the nation's

leaders in mathematics and science academic achievement.

The purpose of the New Mexico project 2012 is to:

A. improve mathematics and science content study in the pre-service education of

elementary and secondary teachers to prepare them well to teach a modern mathematics or

science curriculum;

B. expand professional development and in-service opportunities for mathematics and

science teachers so they may stay abreast of rapidly changing ideas about mathematics and

science teaching and new mathematics and science content;

C. draw on the extensive mathematics and science expertise of New Mexico's very large

community of mathematicians, scientists and engineers to provide specialized content

knowledge; to give students needed tutoring, mentoring and career advice; and to help in

providing professional development activities for teachers;

D. provide quality distance learning opportunities for New Mexico's rural communities via

the innovative digital education and learning in New Mexico system, known as "IDEAL-NM",

and related projects, television programming and broadband internet access;

E. assist in the evaluation of current strategies used in the public schools and classrooms

for teaching and learning mathematics and science; and integrate those subjects with other

essential skills such as inquiry-based learning aptitude and writing and literacy acquisition; and

House Joint Memorial 32/aHEC –

Page 3

F. build a statewide "education community" that includes students, parents, teachers,

school administrators and boards, state and local governments and the business community, all

united toward this exciting goal.

The Joint Memorial further provides that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor,

the public education department, the legislative education study committee and the coalition of

school administrators for appropriate distribution.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The Joint Memorial expresses the New Mexico State Legislature’s support for the New Mexico

project 2012 and that it encourages all the other important participants, from the governor and

the secretary of public education to school districts, teachers, students, parents and business and

community leaders, to show their commitment to New Mexico's current and future generations

of young people by supporting and aiding the implementation of New Mexico project 2012

.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The Joint Memorial requests that the public education department, the legislative education study

committee, the coalition of school administrators, statewide teacher organizations and other

interested groups unite to undertake a creative and effective public relations effort to enable the

necessary departures from "education as usual" to education that will enable young people and

the state to realize a rewarding future.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

Joining the “Alliance" will allow one to match up with a need in the community. Schools to date

which have received or are receiving support from Alliance members include:

•

Acequia Madre Elementary School, science advisor

•

Capital High School, part time physics teacher

•

Capshaw Middle School, math tutor, and science advisor

•

De Vargus Middle School, “Lunch with a Scientist", science advisor

•

Gonzales Elementary School, science advisor and math tutor

•

Wood Gormley Elementary School, physical science class instruction, science club

mentor

•

Monte del Sol Charter School, lectures on biology and epidemiology, physics mentoring,

physics teacher

•

Santa Fe High School, math tutor, physics tutor

•

Santa Fe Community College, engineering teacher and math teacher

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

There will be no Joint Memorial encouraging support for an improvement in mathematics and

science education in New Mexico public schools.

AHO/nt