44TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1999

REQUESTING AN INTERIM STUDY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS, STATUS AND NEEDS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH HIGH POPULATIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS.

WHEREAS, Native American students have the highest dropout rate in the state; and

WHEREAS, accurate statistics on high school graduation rates for Native American students have been difficult to obtain; and

WHEREAS, a thorough review of the statistics on public school dropout rates should be conducted jointly by the legislative education study committee and the Indian affairs committee comparing the success rates of school districts in educating Native American students; and

WHEREAS, those interim committees should conduct an examination of how funding is used by school districts to improve the graduation rates of Native American students; and

WHEREAS, the effect that the location of schools, the distances that must be traveled and the hours spent in transit have on the success of students, especially Native American students, should be reviewed by those committees;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative council be requested to assign to the legislative education study committee and the Indian affairs committee the task of collecting information available regarding the test scores and success rates of Native American students in the New Mexico public school system; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committees should report to the legislature no later than the first session of the forty-fifth legislature on the outcome of the committee inquiry and provide any legislative proposals, including funding proposals, that will enable the state to effectively improve the graduation success rate of Native American students attending public schools and post-secondary schools;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the legislative council, the legislative education study committee and the Indian affairs committee.