Senate Education Committee tables $1 million bill to fund kindergarten online math and reading pilot

The New Mexico Senate Education Committee voted to table Senate Bill 416, a sponsor‑backed proposal that would have appropriated $1 million from the general fund to support online math and reading programs for young children. The committee adopted an amendment narrowing the bill’s target population to kindergarten, but after extended discussion members voted 5–2 to table the measure for now.

Sponsor Senator Campos told the committee, “In essence, what this bill does is it requests, a million dollars from the general fund,” and described the funding as intended to support short, game‑based learning tools designed to make early math and reading practice more engaging. The amendment adopted in committee limited the initiative to kindergarten rather than pre‑K through third grade.

Public testimony included JD Bullington, who described game‑based apps that require “10 to 15 minutes a day” and cited a Florida study in which students who used a daily app were reported to be four months ahead in reading after one school year. Bullington said the apps track progress in real time and can be used by teachers and parents.

Committee members raised questions about implementation, procurement and evidence. Senator Thornton and others asked whether the legislation would specify particular software; Senator Campos said it would not name a vendor and that any program funded would be procured through normal vetting and procurement processes. The Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) analysis and committee discussion raised a separate concern about screen time for young children and cited the American Academy of Pediatrics limit of one hour of screen time per day for children aged 3–10; committee members discussed structuring classroom use as short, supervised instructional periods followed by hands‑on and social activities.

Officials from the Public Education Department (PED) explained administrative options if the appropriation were to be made available: the program could be incorporated into existing high‑impact tutoring efforts or issued as a statewide request for proposals. Greg Frostad, PED assistant secretary of education, said implementation would hinge on legislative intent for the appropriation and that multiple administrative approaches were possible.

Several senators expressed concern about recurring costs and the lack of earlier interim‑committee vetting; sponsor Campos acknowledged the recurring budget concern and said the appropriation could become a pilot or be altered during later budget review. Senator Boone and other members emphasized local control and said districts should have decision authority over curriculum choices. Senator Azelle questioned whether the bill's scope had effectively been reduced to kindergarten despite language up to third grade remaining in the draft; Campos responded that the committee’s current focus was kindergarten.

After more than an hour of discussion and public testimony the chair moved to table the bill. The committee declared the motion carried by a 5–2 vote and the bill was tabled in Senate Education.

Ending: Committee members said they supported the idea of improving early literacy and numeracy but wanted more analysis and clearer implementation language; sponsors and staff agreed to supply additional vendor information, evidence of effectiveness and options for pilot design if the bill is reintroduced or considered by finance committees.