Committee advances bill to create state list of recent non‑graduates for reengagement programs; members raise privacy and timing concerns

Sponsors and multiple education witnesses told the House Education Committee that Senate Bill 480 aims to create a centralized list of recent non‑graduates so state postsecondary institutions, districts, charter schools and workforce providers can perform warm outreach to reengage students in diploma, equivalency or workforce programs.

"Every year we appropriate millions of dollars... These programs ... have no centralized list of students from which they can recruit," the bill sponsor said, explaining that a state list would let programs identify and contact students who did not graduate in the previous four years. The sponsor said New Mexico’s graduation rate has hovered between 75 and 80 percent since 2016 and that a typical cohort is about 30,000 students, meaning roughly 6,000 do not graduate each year.

Representative Sarah Silva, a co‑sponsor, emphasized the bill focuses on youth disconnection and workforce reengagement. Carrie Robin Bruner, testifying for Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, said the list would allow programs to move from blanket advertising to direct, warm outreach. Matt Paul of Public Charter Schools of New Mexico and representatives of local districts and charter programs described existing reengagement and diploma programs and said easier recruitment could increase enrollments.

Multiple committee members asked technical and privacy questions. Greg Frost, assistant secretary of education for PED, said end‑of‑year reporting can extend into July and that PED would need memoranda of understanding before sharing protected data, noting the timing and data‑sharing logistics are concerns. The bill directs PED to make a list available by July 15; committee members asked whether that date would reliably capture summer‑school completions and final reporting.

Members also pressed on privacy and federal protections. A sponsor and PED staff pointed to FERPA and said directory information (name, phone number, address) is releasable and that PED would require data‑sharing agreements that limit use and impose confidentiality requirements. Several legislators asked that immigration status and English‑learner indicators not be included; PED testified such sensitive fields are not part of directory information and would not be provided.

Committee members suggested the policy might produce a "mad dash" to recruit students and asked whether resources would follow students who re‑enroll; sponsors said students who reenroll and receive diplomas continue to be counted for SEG (state equalization guarantee) funding if they are eligible, and that programs that award diplomas must be accredited public district or charter schools. The bill does not change who qualifies to issue diplomas, according to sponsors.

Lawmakers urged earlier identification of at‑risk students (for example by the end of sophomore year) and recommended Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) and Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) review of the bill’s implementation and possible future appropriations to serve reengaged students. The hearing closed with Representative Collin moving a do‑pass recommendation and Representative Garrett seconding; the chair announced the bill had a do‑pass recommendation. The transcript does not record a roll‑call tally.