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

SPONSOR P. Campos

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/29/08

HB

SHORT TITLE NM Highlands Transition Coordinating Council

SB 401

ANALYST Haug

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$150.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU)

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 401 appropriates $150.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Highlands University to support the Statewide Transition Coordinating Council.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $150.0 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.

This request was not submitted to the New Mexico Higher Education Department for review and

is not included in the Department’s legislative recommendation for FY09.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The HED states:

The New Mexico Statewide Transition Coordinating Council (STCC) was created in 2000 by

Senate Bill 401 – Page

2

Joint Memorial. Council members represent over 25 agencies including but not limited to,

Special Education and Parent Groups, NM Corrections Dept., Bureau of Indian Affairs, a

number of postsecondary institutions, NM Public Education Dept., Children, Youth and Families

Dept. Their charge is to:

•

Develop a work plan on transition of students to postsecondary training and or

employment

•

Identify roles/responsibilities of various service providers

•

Identify policies, practices & procedures to coordinate effective delivery of services

•

Leverage services and supports within constraints of available resources

•

Delineate basis for effective & sustainable working relationships among agencies

•

Plan and develop ongoing support system of training and technical assistance to schools,

families, agencies, employers and students

•

Develop process for holding systems accountable for meeting students’ transition needs

•

Develop system to monitor effectiveness of state agencies and other related service

providers in meeting students’ transition needs

•

Establish mechanism to collect data on outcomes

•

Establish interagency referral procedures

•

Create a marking strategy to provide current information to students, parents,

professionals and employers

If SB401 is funded the STCC projects the following activities would result:

•

Revise and expand current membership

•

The council will meet 4 times in the year

•

Support member travel and per diem for qualifying members

•

Expand responsibilities to address transition planning efforts for all students

•

Plan training and technical assistance activities for implementing the Interim Next Steps

and Final Next Steps requirements.

NMHU states:

The intent of the bill is to promote successful transition from school to adulthood. New

Mexico’s rates for high school dropout and for teens not attending school and not

working are well above the national average, and perhaps transitioning services could

assist these students and help lessen the dropout rate.

The Statewide Transition Coordinating Council will consist of up to 30 members

representing the PED, teachers and administrators, students, parents, institutions of higher

education, vocational education, transition-related agencies and councils, the business

community and the workforce development board.

The appropriation is consistent with the University Strategic plan and assists with the

university mission of integrating education, research, public service, and economic

development.

According to the DVR, The provision of school-to-work transition services requires close

collaboration between DVR counselors and school staff in all districts around the state. It also

includes collaboration with other related professional staff representing a variety of agencies,

including post-secondary educational institutions. Each has a role in supporting students exiting

the school system. While productive relationships are created at the local level, the Statewide

Transition Coordinating Council has been instrumental in providing greater consistency to

Senate Bill 401 – Page

3

statewide practices. The council is made up of staff from public schools, post-secondary

institutions, state agency staff including DVR, and other related service providers. The existence

of the council has created a formal venue for service providers to identify areas of challenge, to

develop effective service delivery strategies, to avoid duplication in services, and to plan. It has

also enabled an opportunity for effective networking and communication. The primary vehicle

for the Statewide Transition Coordinating Council is the sponsorship of an annual statewide

transition conference which brings together the aforementioned professional staff in a formal

setting. This conference is well attended by DVR, school and service delivery staff from around

the state and allows for broad based and local planning to take place. Each year the conference

has resulted in meaningful interactions which have improved the overall service delivery

capacity of the statewide transition effort.

GH/mt