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Committee approves $200,000 appropriation for school reengagement programs in four central counties
Summary
Senate Bill 490, amended to specify Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties, would appropriate $200,000 to Workforce Solutions for evidence‑based school reengagement programs; the committee reported the bill do pass 5‑3.
The Senate Education Committee gave a do‑pass recommendation to an amended Senate Bill 490 that appropriates $200,000 from the general fund to the Workforce Solutions Department to support evidence‑based school reengagement programs in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties.
Sponsor testimony described reengagement programs as targeted services that reconnect students at the greatest risk of dropping out, help them graduate, and support post‑secondary or workforce pathways. The presenter said reengagement programs have a long track record in New Mexico and cited an average graduation rate for reengagement program participants of about 96 percent over the last 10 years.
The committee adopted a verbal amendment to replace the word “central” with a list of the four counties (Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia) in the bill title and body. Supporters, including Stan Rounds for the superintendents’ coalition, expressed support and called the investment the “kind of investment we need to make in public schools.”
Committee members asked why the appropriation is routed to Workforce Solutions rather than PED, whether the counties were prioritized and whether the funding would be recurring; the sponsor indicated the appropriation is outside existing PED programs and that selection targeted areas that need resources but did not provide a full prioritization methodology on record. PED staff replied that similar funding streams exist and that programs could be run statewide but did not specify substitution of funding sources in the hearing.
The committee voted to report the bill do pass; the clerk announced the committee recommendation passed on a 5‑3 vote. The sponsor said he would follow up on implementation and county selection questions.
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The committee’s recommendation advances a targeted pilot appropriation; members asked for clarification about county selection and whether the funding should be routed through PED or be statewide.
