0001|                           SENATE BILL 146
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          RICHARD M. ROMERO
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO EDUCATION; CREATING ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS FOR
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0012|     STUDENTS AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL; MAKING AN
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0013|     APPROPRIATION.
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0014|     
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0015|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0016|          Section 1.  A new section of the Public School Code is
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0017|     enacted to read: 
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0018|          "[<u>NEW MATERIAL</u>] EDUCATIONAL SERVICES--DROPOUT 
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0019|     STUDENTS--PILOT PROJECT.--
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0020|               A.  The department of education shall operate a
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0021|     pilot program in the Albuquerque public schools, Santa Fe
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0022|     public schools and Las Cruces public schools to provide
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0023|     educational services to dropout students.  The pilot program
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0024|     shall run until December 31, 2001.  The department of
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0025|     education shall enter into joint powers agreements with
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<center>- 1 -</center>

0001|     governmental entities including the New Mexico youth
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0002|     conservation corps created pursuant to the New Mexico Youth
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0003|     Conservation Corps Act, a school district or a charter school
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0004|     authorized pursuant to the Charter Schools Act to provide
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0005|     educational services for students at risk of dropping out of
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0006|     school.  The governmental entities shall recruit students at
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0007|     risk of dropping out of school and provide to them the basic
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0008|     educational services defined pursuant to Section 22-2-8.3 NMSA
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0009|     1978.  The governmental entities may hire employees who are
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0010|     not certified by the state board of education to work with
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0011|     students at risk of dropping out of school.
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0012|               B.  Students at risk of dropping out of school
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0013|     shall be held to the graduation requirements set out in
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0014|     section 22-2-8.4 of the NMSA 1978.
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0015|               C.  Governmental entities shall be evaluated by
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0016|     criteria that include academic achievement, retention, student
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0017|     attendance and the number of students who pass the New Mexico
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0018|     high school competency exam.
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0019|               D.  Governmental entities may contract for services
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0020|     including transportation, emergency medical services, food
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0021|     services and security necessary to provide educational
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0022|     services to students at risk of dropping out of school.
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0023|               E.  Charter schools founded to address the needs of
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0024|     at-risk students shall not operate on the same site with
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0025|     another public school."
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<center>- 2 -</center>

0001|          Section 2.  APPROPRIATION.--Two million dollars
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0002|     ($2,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the
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0003|     state department of public education for expenditure in fiscal
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0004|     year 1999 for the purpose of funding the educational services
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0005|     for dropout students pilot program.  Any unexpended or
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0006|     unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 1999
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0007|     shall revert to the general fund.
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0008|                              
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