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Superintendent briefs board on multiple state education bills, warns of watch items
Summary
Superintendent Dempsey outlined several New Mexico bills under consideration — including the funding bill (HB2), literacy and math bills, a proposal tied to special education structure, and a spaceport‑funding measure that was tabled after local advocacy — and discussed a pending appeal about district calendar requirements.
Superintendent Dempsey updated the Gadsden ISD board on a series of legislative measures that could affect school funding, instruction and operations.
Dempsey told the board that House Bill 2, the state funding bill, has cleared the House and is moving in the Senate; it includes increases to secondary funding factors and a 4% educator salary increase, though administration will watch language to see how the changes will affect district allocations. He also highlighted bills moving quickly in the Legislature to strengthen math instruction (Senate Bill 235) and expand structured‑literacy approaches and the science of reading (Senate Bill 242); Dempsey noted instructional specialists from the district plan to testify on the latter.
On special education, Dempsey said Senate Bill 38 would create a new office of special education and may move gifted education out of the special education department, a proposal he expected to generate significant debate. A companion constitutional change (Senate Joint Resolution 15) was described as proposing a return to a state board of education and potential structural changes in state education governance.
Spaceport funds and calendar rules: Dempsey described House Bill 396, which proposed moving local spaceport funds to county government; he said Representative Gallegos worked to table the bill in the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee, effectively halting the proposal for now. He also briefed the board on a recent appeal filed concerning minimum instructional‑time requirements (1140 hours vs. a mandatory 180‑day calendar) and warned the outcome could have budget and calendar implications for districts.
Early childhood discipline and childcare: Dempsey said Senate Bill 147 (limiting expulsions/suspensions in early childhood and licensed childcare programs) is being discussed and that the district has received inquiries; he cautioned that while limiting suspensions at early childhood levels has merits, district leaders must be careful not to remove necessary discretion from school leaders where safety or other circumstances require action.
Why it matters: Many proposed changes — funding levels, literacy and math requirements, and structural changes to how special education is organized — would change district budgets, staffing and instructional priorities. The district plans to monitor developments and pass detailed implications to the board as language is finalized.
