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Panel OKs adding New Mexico Military Institute to public school capital outlay law
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to include the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) among constitutional special schools eligible for public school capital outlay funding, allowing the school to work with PSFA on adequacy standards and access state capital funds for facility upgrades.
The Senate Education Committee voted to give Senate Bill 280 a due-pass recommendation after sponsors asked the panel to add the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) to the list of constitutional special schools eligible under the Public School Capital Outlay Act.
Sen. Ezell, sponsor of the bill, said the change would allow NMMI — a combined high school and junior college founded in 1891 — to access state capital outlay funds for campus upgrades, dormitory repairs and other facility needs. NMMI President Brigadier General Boris McBurnett and Colonel David West answered committee questions about student composition, retention and planned educational initiatives. The general said the institute is “planning ahead for New Mexican student leaders,” and noted it had 782 students with a roughly 50/50 split between high school and junior college enrollments.
Committee members questioned how adequacy standards and local match requirements would be handled given NMMI’s unique mission and its tuition model. Witnesses said PSFA (Public School Facilities Authority) and NMMI would develop special adequacy standards to account for the institute’s historic campus and mixed mission and that NMMI has historically met local match requirements (the witness said NMMI has matched capital outlay funds by approximately 51 percent using its land grant permanent fund).
Senators expressed support for NMMI’s student recruitment and retention initiatives, including a preparatory middle school in Roswell intended to improve readiness for New Mexican students. The committee recorded a due-pass recommendation (reported as a unanimous do-pass) and the bill will proceed to the next step of the legislative process.
Comments from higher education and community college representatives in the hearing room were supportive. Executive Director Vanessa Hawker of the New Mexico Independent Community Colleges testified in favor of the change.
