Senate Education advances school-finance overhaul, free GED testing, farm-to-school memorial and tutoring measure; monitoring bill moves with amendment

House Bill 63, public school finance formula changes

House Bill 63, a multi-year overhaul of the state public-school funding formula that moves at‑risk funding toward a family income index and creates a separate English‑learner factor, advanced out of the Senate Education Committee as amended.

The bill, the sponsor told the committee, is the product of two years of work by the Legislative Education Study Committee and the Legislative Finance Committee to refine the state’s equalization guarantee. The amended version keeps the “at‑risk” label but uses the family income index to identify students in poverty at the school site and funds schools directly. The amendment also creates an increased sixth‑grade factor after the larger secondary factor the House sought did not make it into the budget.

Supporters who testified included Gina Morales of J.D. Vollintine Government Relations representing Gallup‑McKinley Community Schools; Joe Guayen, executive director of the New Mexico School Boards Association; Amanda Aragon of New Mexico Kids Can; and Ellen Bernstein of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation. Several charter school representatives said the new index will reduce funding for some charters and urged a multi‑year hold‑harmless or phased transition. Jason Morgan, representing a Santa Fe charter, said his school stands to lose roughly $200,000 — about a 4.5% reduction in at‑risk funding — and asked for at least a three‑year transition to avoid cutting programs such as peer mentoring and instructional coaching.

Senators questioned staff and witnesses about the family income index and attendance language. Committee staff said the Family Income Index Act matches individual student and family data (state tax, benefit participation, census data) to identify poverty at the school level rather than relying on statewide averages. The bill also aligns statutory language on “habitually truant” to the national standard of “chronically absent,” but committee members were reminded the funding bill does not itself change attendance enforcement.

After questions, the committee moved HB 63 as amended (motion made on the record), and the committee reported the bill out with a unanimous due‑pass recommendation.

House Bill 167, free high‑school equivalency tests

The committee also advanced House Bill 167, which would direct the Higher Education Department to provide free high‑school equivalency (HSE) exams to eligible New Mexico residents. Amber Gallup, introduced as an expert witness from HED, told the committee that a single HSE exam costs about $145 and that fewer than 6,000 New Mexicans took the test in fiscal 2024; HED estimated annual exam costs at roughly $870,000 based on current testing rates. The bill would require candidates to be at least 16, not enrolled in secondary school, and to pass an official practice test showing readiness.

Witnesses from adult‑education programs and test‑takers told the committee the cost is a real barrier. Officials clarified that practice tests and prep are included in the $145 calculation and that prep options include adult‑education programs, online study and approved testing centers; HED staff said roughly 45 publicly available testing centers operate around the state (about 60–66 total including corrections). The committee moved HB 167 and reported it out with a unanimous due‑pass recommendation.

Senate Memorial 19, local meat/cheese/milk in schools (work group)

Senate Memorial 19 would ask the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and the Public Education Department (PED) to convene a work group to develop a plan for having a substantial share of beef, cheese and milk served in public schools originate from and be processed by New Mexico producers. The memorial’s original aspirational target was 50%; sponsors said they chose that figure to signal ambition but noted some conversations suggested 30% as a starter target. The sponsor amended the memorial to change reporting timing and to remove a list of specifically named private industry invitees so NMDA and PED could convene the work group and determine membership.

Agriculture and supplier witnesses — including Abby O’Connor of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, Elena Paesano (NMDA’s approved supplier program), Pam Roy (Farm to Table and New Mexico Food & Agriculture Policy Council), Jason Espinosa (New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau) and others — testified in support, emphasizing regional economic and supply‑chain benefits and existing New Mexico Grown purchasing work. Roswell ISD nutrition director Kim Meeks described buying as much New Mexico produce and beef as possible and urged expansion of grower capacity in the state. The committee adopted the sponsor’s amendment and gave the memorial a unanimous due pass.

Senate Bill 434 (substitute), high‑impact tutoring

Senate Bill 434, revised to a substitute version, would deploy a high‑impact tutoring program during the school day for students identified by statewide assessments. Sponsors and witnesses described the model as small‑group (no more than 4 students per tutor), targeted to the bottom quartile, frequent (multiple sessions per week for a sustained period), aligned to district curriculum and monitored for quality. Committee testimony cited national research — including University of Chicago studies and other pilots — showing substantial learning gains from high‑dosage tutoring. The committee discussed grade bands, logistics (how students would be scheduled, whether tutoring would displace electives, recess or lunch) and staffing models (district staff versus contracted vendors). PED witnesses and the sponsor said the bill was deliberately flexible to let districts schedule and staff tutoring in ways that minimize harm to electives and recess and that PED has piloted contract arrangements following COVID. The committee moved the substitute forward with a due‑pass recommendation.

Senate Bill 516, public charter school financial monitoring (amended, opt‑in)

Senate Bill 516 would create a financial‑monitoring and analytics pilot to help districts and charter schools assess how local spending affects student outcomes. The sponsor and an expert witness described the measure as a coordinated analytics effort — combining operational, programmatic and student data — intended to support local decision‑making and to create a neutral analytic resource for districts and the Legislature. The committee accepted an amendment making participation optional (an opt‑in model tied to available funding) rather than requiring every district to participate. Several witnesses urged caution about costs and capacity; the sponsor described the appropriation request as a one‑year, nonrecurring up‑front investment to establish analytics and platforms and noted ongoing costs would be lower once systems are in place. Public comment included representatives of school boards and charter schools; the charter representative asked that language avoid implying charters are not public schools.

The committee reported SB 516 as amended with a due‑pass recommendation (the committee record shows the item moved with an amendment; the committee vote was recorded on the floor as due pass).

SB 552, Protection of School Library Materials Act (introduction)

Committee members also received an introductory presentation and initial debate on Senate Bill 552, a bill modeled on Colorado law the sponsor described as intended to protect librarians and to set reconsideration and review procedures for library materials. The bill’s text would prohibit retaliation against library staff who refuse to remove materials prior to formal review and ties applicable protections to the more protective of the First Amendment and Article II, Section 17 of the New Mexico Constitution. The sponsor opened the bill and invited feedback; a number of organized interests were queued online or for future hearings.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 63 (school finance changes, as amended): Committee action — due pass out of Senate Education (committee reported bill out; recorded as unanimous). - House Bill 167 (free high‑school‑equivalency tests): Committee action — due pass out of Senate Education (committee reported bill out; recorded as unanimous). - Senate Memorial 19 (NM meat/cheese/milk work group): Committee action — amendment adopted; due pass out of committee (unanimous). - Senate Bill 434 (high‑impact tutoring, substitute): Committee action — due pass out of committee. - Senate Bill 516 (public charter/district financial monitoring, amended to opt‑in): Committee action — amendment adopted; due pass out of committee. - Senate Bill 552 (protection of school librarians/library materials): Introductory presentation and initial discussion; no final committee vote recorded at this hearing.

Why this matters

Taken together the measures show the committee moving on three policy fronts: reallocating school funding to better target poverty and English‑learner needs, expanding adult‑education access through free HSE tests, and investing in tools and programs — farm‑to‑school, high‑impact tutoring and data analytics — intended to improve learning and local economic connections. Sponsors and witnesses repeatedly emphasized implementation details (hold‑harmless timelines for charters, testing center availability, tutoring dosage and scheduling, and analytic capacity and cost) as central to how the measures will affect districts, schools and communities.

What’s next

Each bill will follow the Senate process to finance and floor committees as applicable. Several sponsors said appropriations or placement in the state budget will determine how quickly provisions can be implemented. The committee scheduled further hearings for other items and indicated members would continue to refine language on implementation and funding.