HOUSE MEMORIAL 1

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second special session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

William "Bill" R. Rehm

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT TO REVIEW JOB TITLES AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND PERFORM DESK AUDITS ON ALL GENERAL AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS TO DETERMINE WHETHER JOB TITLES, JOB CLASSIFICATIONS AND DUTIES ARE ACCURATE AND APPROPRIATE AND WHETHER POSITIONS CAN BE CONSOLIDATED OR ELIMINATED FOR BETTER EFFICIENCY AND COST SAVINGS.

     WHEREAS, for fiscal year 2011, the state is faced with revenue shortfalls that will require budget reductions for all functions of government, including the most essential functions such as public education; and

     WHEREAS, if cuts must be made to education budgets, it is crucial that they be made where they will have the least harmful impact on student learning; and

     WHEREAS, a letter from the superintendent of Albuquerque public schools to legislators indicated that public education budget cuts may result in reductions in the teaching force; and

     WHEREAS, budgetary belt-tightening can and should first be used as an occasion to restructure operations to increase efficiency; and

     WHEREAS, information provided by the school district indicates that less than sixty-three percent of total budgeted expenditures for fiscal year 2010 were for classroom instruction; and

     WHEREAS, at the same time, almost six percent of budgeted expenditures were for general and school administration, including clerical support; and

     WHEREAS, nationally, according to the national center for education statistics, general and school administrative costs amount to less than five percent of public education budgets; and

      WHEREAS, before eliminating teaching and direct student services positions, a prudent school leader should first determine if noninstructional resources are being used effectively, if there are savings to be realized in other expenditure categories and if there are administrative and clerical positions that may be effectively combined or eliminated;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the Albuquerque public school district be requested to review its general and school administrative job titles and job descriptions to see how many titles and descriptions can be combined or eliminated to increase operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the district perform desk audits on its general and school administrative and clerical positions to determine whether they are still crucial to the educational mission of the school or district and whether positions should be combined or eliminated or personnel reassigned to more efficiently and effectively manage limited fiscal resources and to ensure that those resources are not being wasted; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the district look at administrative reorganizations at schools and the central administrative office to provide for a leaner and less expensive organizational structure; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these and other cost-saving measures be implemented before the district begins considering the elimination of teaching or direct student services positions; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Albuquerque public school district be requested to report to the legislative education study committee on the progress of this request; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the superintendent of Albuquerque public schools, the secretary of public education and the director of the legislative education study committee.

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