SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 13

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Stephen H. Fischmann

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE STATE AUDITOR TO NAME A WORK GROUP TO STUDY SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION REFORMS THAT ALLOW SUPERINTENDENTS TO FOCUS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has eighty-nine school districts, with fifty of those having fewer than one thousand enrolled students; and

     WHEREAS, the growing administrative requirements mandated by the federal and state governments place an especially onerous burden on small school districts, but many others are also overwhelmed by the administrative demands made on school districts and superintendents; and

     WHEREAS, many school districts lack the funding or fiscal infrastructure to comply in an effective and efficient manner with the many administrative requirements, including business and fiscal management, recordkeeping and reporting, imposed by state law and public education department rules; and

     WHEREAS, school districts in some areas of the state often struggle to find employees who have the necessary training and experience to be able to comply with the complicated laws and rules that govern school finance and business, as well as detailed requirements for extensive recordkeeping and reporting; and

     WHEREAS, the plethora of noneducational requirements of managing a school district, including routine human resource matters, routine procurement, business and fiscal recordkeeping and reporting for state and federal funding, school transportation, food service operations and facilities management and maintenance, hamper the ability of superintendents to focus on strategies to improve student achievement, reduce truancy and dropout rates, increase graduation rates, motivate student-centered teaching and instructional support and increase parental and community involvement in the schools and public education; and

     WHEREAS, as a school district's highest educational leader, each superintendent should be focused on improving student achievement and high school graduation rates for the district, on ensuring that students are prepared to enter post-secondary education or careers and on ensuring that teachers, principals and other staff are likewise focused on student success instead of having attention diverted to business, finance and recordkeeping matters; and

     WHEREAS, the state is best served by having school superintendents and school employees focused on academic and other district improvements that lead to student success, as well as being the necessary catalysts for bringing the attention of parents, business leaders and the entire community to bear on the needs of the state's public school children; and

     WHEREAS, the legislative education study committee, during the 2010 interim, established a school finance work group to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of laws and rules governing public school finance in the state; and

     WHEREAS, the work group determined that business, financial services and other noneducation-related services could more effectively and efficiently be performed by regional education cooperatives, which would allow superintendents and school personnel to concentrate on the educational demands of the modern public school system; and

     WHEREAS, regional education cooperatives were created primarily to provide education-related services to their member school districts and to facilitate regulation and evaluation of school programs within and among their regions, but they also have the ability to provide cooperative purchasing and fiscal management opportunities to their members; and

     WHEREAS, in addition to regional education cooperatives, currently, all school districts belong to a joint powers agreement organization composed of school districts, public post-secondary educational institutions and other members, whose purpose is to provide economies-of-scale leverage in the procurement of services, supplies and equipment for school districts and other members;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the public education department and the state auditor be requested to convene a work group to study the feasibility of better focusing school district superintendent duties on academics and other educational programming that improves student achievement, lowers the truancy and dropout rates and improves high school graduation rates; on staff development, particularly for teachers, principals and instructional support providers; and on enhancing parental involvement with their children's education and community involvement in public schools; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group consider the efficacy of having regional education cooperatives or other joint powers agreement organizations provide such services as business and fiscal recordkeeping and reporting, facilities management, school transportation, food service operations and other functions that do not directly support the educational program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group analyze the staffing needs required to provide these services at the regional level; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group design a pilot project consisting of several school districts in one or more regional education cooperatives or other joint powers agreement organizations that would determine the efficacy of regional business management and accounting services and submit the pilot project for legislative consideration; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in addition to the secretary of public education and the state auditor, or their designees, the work group include the regional education cooperatives, superintendents, teachers, school district business staff and other stakeholders; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group report its findings and recommendations, including its recommendations for a pilot project, to the legislative education study committee and the legislative finance committee by November 1, 2012; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of public education, who shall provide for distribution to local superintendents; the state auditor; the regional education cooperatives; other appropriate joint powers agreement organizations; and the directors of the legislative education study committee and the legislative finance committee.

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