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Superintendent outlines legislative items affecting district funding, reading and special education; board flags timing issues with NMSBA policy advisories
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Summary
Superintendent Dempsey reviewed active state legislation affecting Gadsden ISD — including the state funding bill, math and literacy bills, special-education proposals and a proposal affecting Spaceport funds — and the board discussed delays and discrepancies in NMSBA policy advisories.
Superintendent Dempsey provided a legislative update at the March 6 Gadsden Independent School District board meeting, summarizing several bills and administrative developments the district is monitoring.
Key items discussed:
- House Bill 2: The district’s funding bill cleared the House and was advancing in the Senate; the superintendent said it included increases in secondary factors and maintained a 4% salary increase for educators, but recommended waiting for language to settle to estimate local impact.
- Senate Bill 235 (referred to in the meeting as "Senate bill 235"): Described as a fast-moving bill focused on improving math instruction, with local instructional specialists preparing to testify.
- Senate Bill 242: Addressing the science of reading and structured literacy; district instructional staff planned to testify in support and a committee hearing was scheduled.
- Senate Bill 38: A proposal relating to special education, including creating a new office of special education and potentially removing gifted education from that division; superintendent flagged it as likely to prompt spirited debate.
- House Bill 396 (referenced as House bill 396/3 96 in the discussion): A bill affecting Spaceport funding was discussed; district leaders said Representative Gallegos helped table the proposal in committee, which the superintendent described as effectively dead at this time but an issue to continue monitoring because of alternate proposals regarding spaceport-related allocations.
- Minimum instruction-time dispute: The superintendent reported an appeal had been filed in a dispute over calendar requirements — whether districts must meet 1,140 instruction hours or a 180-day calendar — and that the outcome could affect district budgeting and calendar choices.
Policy advisories and timing concerns: Board members and staff raised concerns about the timeliness and accuracy of policy postings from the NMSBA policy service. The superintendent pointed to a discrepancy in policy language about officer terms (1 year versus 2 years) and requested assistance from board members who serve on the NMSBA executive board to follow up. The district also received policy advisories about return-to-work rules for retirees (NMSBA advisory 246) and consolidated policy advisories on tobacco/nicotine/alcohol on school property; these advisories include statutory and regulatory requirements the district must reflect in local policy.
Board members asked staff to track the advisories, confirm upload dates and ensure any required policy changes are submitted and recorded with the policy service. The superintendent said the district will place new advisories on the next board agendas for review and approval.
