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

SPONSOR Sanchez, B.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/07/08

HB

SHORT TITLE Dance Programs for Low-Income Persons

SB 395

ANALYST Escudero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$25.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 395 appropriates $25.0 from the general fund to the Department of Cultural Affairs

during FY09 to fund dance programs – productions, classes and other educational outreach – in

the city of Albuquerque for both adults and young people including low-income, homeless,

disabled and incarcerated individuals.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $25.0 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.

There is no impact to the Public Education Department (PED) budget as these funds are

appropriated to the Cultural Affairs Department

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to PED, this legislation will support and encourage learning for individuals who are

Senate Bill 395 – Page

2

not easily reached by traditional education and testing methods. Results from a new poll were

released January 24, 2008, by Lake Research Partners identifying a new strand of swing voters

poised to support candidates and policy that ensures building capacities of the imagination in

schools. The new national survey of 1,000 likely voters identifies that 30% of American voters

are not only dissatisfied with public education’s narrow focus on the “so-called" basics but that

they also believe developing the imagination is a critical, but missing ingredient to student

success in 21st century schools and moving students beyond average . . .

The arts make unique contributions to education, culture and society. Students, teachers, parents

and community members would benefit from a dance education program that would support

recognition and celebration of the diversity of culture in New Mexico.

Movement, choreography, storytelling, valuing one’s own and others’ cultures can be enhanced

though the Performing Arts/Dance. Learning through the arts for students creates interest,

discipline, focus and promotes learning and skill development.

The NM Content Standards for the Arts make a foundation for this learning along with other

Content Standards through:

•

Demonstration of an understanding of the dynamics of the creative process.

•

Observation, discussion, analysis and making critical judgments about artistic works.

•

Increased awareness of diverse peoples through the performing arts.

Connections and parallels among the arts, health and physical education disciplines as well as

•

Career Technology.

•

Contributions to the local community by sharing learning in movement, and dance.

As the world moves from a logical, linear Information Age into an economy and society built on

the inventive capabilities of a Conceptual Age, creative design, symphony, empathy and

meaning* will emerge to be as valued as logical thinking and linear skills are now. (Pink, 2005).

Educational outreach programs based upon learning through the arts and culture promote:

•

Creative, engaged, skilled and confident students for New Mexico

•

Family and community involvement

•

Cultural and traditional celebrations, appreciation and connections

•

Celebration and development of artistic skills and knowledge

•

Support to New Mexico’s elementary arts education programs

•

Contribution to closing the achievement gap for students

•

Improved school performance, cultural preservation and rejuvenation and job training.

Most Americans underestimate how the problem of homelessness affects families (FACT

CHECKER: FAMILY HOMELESSNESS, 2007).

•

About 600,000 families and 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United

States. Family homelessness is more widespread than many think, but it is not an

unsolvable problem. Across the country, hundreds of communities are planning to end

homelessness, and a handful of communities and many local programs are making

progress in ending family homelessness.

•

Chronic homelessness is long-term or repeated homelessness accompanied by a

disability. Many chronically homeless people have a serious mental illness like

Senate Bill 395 – Page

3

schizophrenia and/or alcohol or drug addiction. Most chronically homeless individuals

have been in treatment programs, sometimes on dozens of occasions.

•

Research reveals that between 10 to 20 percent of homeless single adults are chronically

homeless. This translates to between 150,000 to 200,000 people who experience chronic

homelessness.

•

The federal government’s definition of chronic homelessness includes homeless

individuals with a disabling condition (substance use disorder, serious mental illness,

developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability) who have been

homeless either 1) continuously for one whole year, or 2) four or more times in the past

three years.

•

Many people think of homelessness as strictly an urban phenomenon because homeless

people are greater in number and are more visible in urban areas, but homelessness is

pervasive in rural areas. The number of people who experience rural homelessness is

unknown, but the last national count of homeless people found that 9 percent of homeless

people live in rural areas.

•

Homeless people suffer from high rates of mental and physical health problems

exacerbated by living on the streets and in shelters. The lack of residential stability makes

healthcare delivery more complicated. Health conditions that require ongoing

treatment—such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and

mental illness—are difficult to treat when people are living in shelter or on the streets.

Homeless people often lack access to preventative care, waiting until a trip to the

emergency room is a matter of life or death. These emergency room visits are costly.

Additionally, when homeless people become ill, they often do not receive timely

treatment.

According to DCA, our understanding that the “modern dance company" mentioned in SB 395 is

the Keshet Dance Company, founded in Albuquerque in 1996. The organization, which claims

to serve 7,500 people annually, has provided the following programmatic breakdown in order to

meet the initiatives and $25.0 appropriation specified in the bill:

.

An annual production series integrating youth and adult community members with

Keshet’s professional dancers, such as Nutcracker on the Rocks, the modern, rock-n-roll

version of the classic with a cast of over 100 and an audience of over 5,000.

.

A variety of classes on site at Keshet’s facility, such as after-school and weekend dance

classes for children, youth and adults, with an unlimited, non-competitive youth

scholarship program.

.

Outreach Education targeting homeless and incarcerated youth and other at-risk

populations, such as providing dance education classes for homeless youth in partnership

with the Title I Homeless Project as part of the after-school tutoring program.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP

RELATES TO: SB 144, SB 277, SB 359, and SB 268.

PME/nt