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

SPONSOR Garcia, M.J.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/24/08

HB

SHORT TITLE NMSU Science, Engineering & Math Academy

SB 156

ANALYST Escudero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

Public Education Department (PED)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 156 appropriates $200.0 to the Board of Regents of the Science, Engineering,

Mathematics and Aerospace Academy at New Mexico State University to Improve Student

Achievement and Increase Participation Statewide.

FISCAL IMPACT

The appropriation of $200.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense appropriated from the

general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year

2009 shall revert to the general fund.

This request was submitted to the Higher Education Department for review. The Departments

funding recommendation for FY09 is a continuance of FY08 recurring funding in the amount of

$81,000 with no additional funding at this time.

The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC

classifies this project as a “supports state priorities" project. Reasons for this classification

Senate Bill 156 – Page

2

decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education Department Review of

Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table 4, p74.)

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to NMSU - The purpose of the Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering,

Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) is to use the unique resources of our

community to engage historically underrepresented youth (e.g., Hispanic, Native American,

young women) in activities in the fields of science, engineering, mathematics, and technology.

•

The SEMAA program works with 25 schools in an after school program that includes

students from three school districts, Las Cruces Public Schools, Hatch Public Schools,

and Gadsden Independent School District. These districts are located on the border of

New Mexico and consist of cities that have a very poor socioeconomic population who

are primarily second language learners. The program consists of a combination of school

based curriculum enhancements, university organized enrichment activities, and parent

outreach.

•

Each component is designed to work seamlessly with the others as a comprehensive

program to improve student achievement and increase participation in science,

mathematics, engineering, and technology.

•

The major components include eight-week sessions of enriched curriculum that

emphasizes science, engineering, and mathematics with an overarching theme of

aerospace education; and professional development for the new and continuing SEMAA

teachers in order to use teaching strategies that integrate an inquiry approach to teaching

science, engineering and mathematical concepts.

•

Two of the eight-week sessions for middle and high school students are held on the

campus of NMSU at the Aerospace Education Laboratory where the students use many

different technological tools.

•

SEMAA students join one eight-week session during each of their following grades until

they graduate from high school. They have the option of joining a summer session. The

curriculum is completely different for each year; so a student can gain a tremendous

amount of knowledge if he or she stays with the program. The parents of SEMAA

students meet during the eight-week session to talk about science and math education and

how to help their children succeed in school.

According to HED, SEMAA has provided academic enrichment and career awareness for

students and teachers from the Las Cruces, Gadsden and Hatch districts for the past eight years

(

semaa.nmsu.edu

). It houses the Aerospace Educational Lab that was funded by NASA. Students

and teachers come to that Lab on the NMSU campus after participating in after-school programs.

Its summer programs have been particularly popular. In addition to NASA funding, SNM-

SEMAA has received funding from several foundations. Engineering students, faculty and

parents have also been active in the program, as well as students and faculty from the College of

Education. SNM-SEMAA has been praised by NASA as its most successful SEMAA. Many of

their materials have been translated into Spanish.

PME/mt