LESC bill analyses are available on the New Mexico Legislature website (www.nmlegis.gov). Bill analyses are
prepared by LESC staff for standing education committees of the New Mexico Legislature. LESC does not assume
any responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they are used for other purposes.
LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE
BILL ANALYSIS
57th Legislature, 1st S ession, 2025
Bill Number HB157 Sponsor Garratt/Baca/Lara
Tracking Number .229436.2 Committee Referrals HEC/HGEIC
Short Title New School Licenses
Original Date 1/30/2025
Analyst Armatage Last Updated
FOR THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE
BILL SUMMARY
The proposed bill would create the School Administrator Development Act, which would require
school administrator preparation programs to meet national and state standards; require the Public
Education Department (PED) to create a process for approving new and revised school
administrator preparation programs ; and establish new licenses for assistant principals, principals,
charter school head administrators and superintendents.
The proposed bill would amend the School Personnel Act to add newly created site administrator
and superintendent licenses to the list of licensure applicants required to undergo a criminal history
record check.
The proposed bill would also modify reciprocity requirements for individuals with out-of-state
school administrator licenses.
The proposed bill would repeal Section 22-10A- 17.2 NMSA 1978 to remove principal licensure
requirements specific to instructional support providers. Under the proposed bill, instructional
support providers would have the same requirements for site administrator licensure as teachers
and administrators.
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill does not include an appropriation.
Both LESC’s and the Legislative Finance Committee’s ( LFC’s) proposed fiscal year 2026 (FY26)
recommendation for public school support includes $2.8 million for educator and administrator
preparation, induction, and evaluation.
LESC staff estimate the FY26 costs to meet the requirements of the proposed bill —including
additional full-time employees (FTE) at PED and education preparation programs ( EPPs),
planning and supports for aspiring superintendent academies and induction programs, and
HB157 – Page 2
additional data collection for monitoring and improvement—would cost the state approximately
$2.8 million. One new FTE at PED and seven new FTE at EPPs would create recurring costs of
an estimated $900 thousand annually.
SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Site Administrator Definition. State law currently has the same licensure requirements for all
school administrators, which include local superintendents, school principals, central district
administrators, business managers, charter school head administrators, and state agency education
supervisors. HB157 would add a definition for “site administrators” to the School Personnel Act.
Site administrators include assistant principals, principals, and charter school head administrators.
All these individuals would share the same licensure requirements under the proposed bill; other
school administrator positions would have separate licensure requirements.
Principals, superintendents, and other school administrators have different responsibilities. By
creating separate licensure requirements for these professions, EPP s would be able to focus their
site administrator preparation programs solely on the needs and responsibilities of principals and
charter school head administrators.
Site Administrator Preparation Program Requirements. Under HB157, all entities offering a
site administrator preparation program would be required to be approved by PED under new
criteria. The department would be required to establish criteria for programs to meet research-
based features of effective leader preparation programs: comprehensive curriculum aligned to
national and state standards; deliberate candidate recruitment and selection; robust clinical
experience; a cohort structure with trained coaches; and formal partnerships between the program
and school districts and charter schools.
Site Administrator Licensure. HB157 would create three new levels of site administrator
licensure for assistant principals, principals, and charter school head administrators, including a
provisional site administrator license, an initial site administrator license, and a professional site
administrator license. The existing 3B license would be repealed on July 1, 2028.
Table 1: Overview of Proposed Site Administrator Licenses for Assistant Principals, Principals, and Charter
School Head Administrators
Provisional Site Administrator
License
Initial Site Administrator
License
Professional Site Administrator
License
Description
For cases when staffing shortages
require an individual to serve as a
site administrator while completing
their preparation program.
The first level of licensure for
individuals who have met the basic
requirements to serve as a site
administrator.
The final level of site administrator
licensure for experienced site
administrators.
Requirements
for licensure
• Holds a level 2 or 3A teaching
license;
• Enrolled in a site administrator
preparation program; and
• Enrolled in site administrator
induction and mentoring
programs.
• Completed their site
administrator preparation
program;
• Has at least three years of
experience as a teacher or
instructional support provider;
• Holds a post-baccalaureate
degree or national board for
professional teaching
standards certification; and
• Enrolled in a site
administrator induction and
mentoring program.
• Completed their site
administrator preparation
program;
• Completed their site administrator induction
program;
• Holds a post-baccalaureate
degree or national board for
professional teaching
standards certification;
• Has at least one year of
experience as a school
administrator; and
HB157 – Page 3
• Has received satisfactory
performance evaluations.
Length of
license
One year Three years Five years
Renewable Three times Two one-year renewals Unlimited
Requirements
for renewal
Proof of enrollment in a site
administration preparation program
and satisfactory evaluations from
the mentoring program.
Upon request of the local
superintendent.
Completion of PED-required
professional development and
satisfactory annual performance
evaluations.
Superintendent Licensure. HB157 would create separate licenses for superintendents, including
a provisional superintendent license and a superintendent license. Specific licenses for
superintendents would ensure aspiring superintendents receive training targeted to their needs that
is experienced closer to the time they become a superintendent.
Table 2: Overview of Proposed Superintendent Licenses
Provisional Superintendent License Superintendent License
Description
For cases when staffing shortages require
an individual to serve as a superintendent
while completing the requirements for
licensure.
For individuals who have met the
requirements of superintendent licensure.
Requirements for licensure
• Has at least one year of experience
as a school administrator; and
• Is enrolled in a superintendent
induction program.
• Has at least one year of experience
as a school administrator; and
• Completed an aspiring
superintendent academy.
Length of license One year Five years
Renewable Three times Unlimited
Requirements for renewal
Proof of enrollment in an aspiring
superintendent academy and
recommendation of an induction coach.
Superintendent induction program must
be completed prior to first renewal.
Completion of PED -required professional
development.
Grandfathering. All teachers and school administrators who hold valid level 3B licenses on July 1, 2028, would be granted a professional site administrator license if the proposed bill passes. Any
school administrator who holds a valid 3B license and worked as a superintendent prior to July 1, 2028, would be granted a superintendent’s license if HB157 passes. This means all current site
administrators (assistant principals, principals, and charter school head administrators) and school
superintendents would not be impacted by the proposed bill. Emergency Waivers. Under the proposed legislation, e mergency certificates of principalship
waivers could be issued by PED if a local superintendent or governing authority of public school
were to certify an emergency in hiring a qualified site administrator. The waivers would be one-
year, nonrenewable waivers that could be issued to a level 2 or level 3A licensed teacher who does
not meet the other requirements for a site administrator license. Emergency waivers allow school districts unable to fill unexpected site administrator vacancies with a qualified individual to
temporarily fill the position. However, the one-year length of the waiver would require school
districts to proactively identify teachers to pursue site administrator licensure.
Similarly, under the proposed legislation, if a school board were to certify to PED that an emergency existed in the hiring of a qualified superintendent, PED could issue a certificate of
superintendency waiver to a person who holds a professional site administrator license but does not meet the other requirements for a superintendent’s license. These waivers would be valid for one year and nonrenewable. Reciprocity. Currently, state law allows PED to grant a school administrator license to an
individual with an out-of-state administrator license if the candidate has worked as a school
administrator in good standing for at least six years. The proposed bill would allow PED to grant
HB157 – Page 4
an initial site administrator license to an individual with a valid school administrator license from
another state, if the individual:
• Has worked as a site administrator for at least three years;
• Has a recent satisfactory performance evaluation; and
• Is enrolled in a department-approved site administrator induction program.
Other School Administrators. All school administrators are currently required to attain the same
license, including superintendents, school principals, central district administrators, business
managers, charter school head administrators and state agency education supervisors. The
proposed bill would create new licenses for site administrators (assistant principals, principals, and
charter school head administrators) and for superintendents. When the existing 3B administrator
license would be repealed in 2028, no licensure requirements would exist in statute for the
remaining school administrators (central district administrators, business managers, and state
agency education supervisors). The proposed bill would task PED with creating new licensure
requirements for these professions through promulgating rule. PED intends to require
endorsements on teacher or instructional support provider licenses for these positions. These
positions require different training than principals and superintendents. For example, a special
education director could be better served by training more targeted to their responsibilities.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
PED would be required to, in consultation with the Professional Practices and Standards
Committee, publish a manual outlining the requirements for site administrator program approval.
PED would also be required to:
• Approve site administrator program applications by July 1, 2026;
• Develop site administrator and superintendent induction programs and approve
superintendent academies, which could be delivered by PED, EPPs, or contracted to other
service providers;
• Establish licensure requirements for school administrators that are not assistant principals,
principals, or superintendents; and
• Continue monitoring program success and candidate outcomes through the educator
accountability report, including new reporting measures.
All EPPs with site administrator preparation programs would have to ensure their programs meet
the proposed program requirements and apply for department approval by January 15, 2026.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
Educator Leadership Preparation Programs in New Mexico. In New Mexico, six universities
and the Cooperative Education Services offer educational leadership programs.
Table 3: FY24 Enrollment in New Mexico School Leadership Preparation Programs
Institution SY23 School Leadership Program Enrollment
Cooperative Educational Services 115
Eastern New Mexico University 90
New Mexico Highlands University 52
New Mexico State University 50
University of New Mexico 36
University of the Southwest 9
Western New Mexico University 40
Statewide Total 392
Source: LESC files
HB157 – Page 5
Task Force and Working Group. In 2023, the New Mexico Association of Colleges and Teacher
Education (NMACTE) established a principal preparation task force to make recommendations
for revising the state’s requirements for school leader preparation. Over the 2023 interim, the task
force brought together a variety of stakeholders, including deans and directors of colleges of
education, Cooperative Educational Services, PED, LESC, LFC , legislators, and experts from
Education Research and Development, a consultancy
focused on developing effective educational
leadership. This collaborative effort resulted in recommendations to defin e school leader
preparation program criteria based on national best practices in statute, which were proposed in
House Bill 22 (HB22) during the 2024 legislative session. HB22 was introduced but not heard in
the 2024 legislative session.
The task force also recommended separate licensure requirements for principals and superintendents. In 2024, the NMACTE established a school leadership working group to study this issue, including the same stakeholders included in the prior task force with the addition of
school and district administrators. The working group produced a comprehensive set of recommendations for school administrator licensure changes, including recommendations for statutory and department rule changes. The recommendations from the principal preparation task force and school leadership working group shaped the proposed legislation. Impact of Effective Principals. The proposed bill is aligned with national research on effective
school administrator preparation programs. Research
demonstrates school leadership is second
only to teaching among school-based factors influencing student success. Effective principals
create an environment that fosters learning and achievement, improve instruction on a schoolwide level, analyze data to inform decision -making, nurture talent, and attract and retain effective
teachers. The dramatic
impact of school administrators is considerably greater in schools with low
academic outcomes. There are virtually no documented instances of struggling schools turned around without an effective school leader. Consequently, adequately preparing principals who can dramatically improve teaching and learning is essential to increasing student achievement. National
research suggests high- quality principal preparation programs can improve principals’
feelings of preparedness, teacher satisfaction and retention, and student achievement. Elements of successful programs include rigorous recruitment, close district-university partnerships, a cohort
structure, a focus on critical content, and clinical experiences.
In New Mexico, administrative rule requires candidates for school administrative licensure to
complete at least 18 semester hours of graduate credit in a state- approved educational
administrative program, a department-approved apprenticeship of at least 180 hours over one
calendar year, and a passing score on the state licensure test for administration.
Vacancies and T urnover. According to the 2024 New Mexico Educator Vacancy Report
by New
Mexico State University’s Southwest Outreach Academic Research Evaluation and Policy Center, the state had an estimated 25 principal and assistant principal vacancies.
According to the Learning
Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization, principal turnover can be disruptive to schools, increase teacher turnover, and ultimately negatively impact student achievement. Principal
turnover is costly, with conservative
estimates of $75 thousand to replace a principal. Research
also indicates better prepared principals reduce teacher turnover, resulting in significant savings,
as research estimates turnover costs at $20 thousand per teacher. One of the key reasons principals
leave their positions is inadequate preparation and professional development.
HB157 – Page 6
In SY24, just under two- thirds of New Mexico’s superintendents had held their position for four
years of less or were serving on an interim basis. Nearly half had been a superintendent for two
years or less. According to the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders, a professional
association of state school administrators, the average superintendent tenure in New Mexico is
about two years. The Broad Center, a research organization within Yale University’s School of
Management, found the national average tenure for a superintendent is six years. Research has
found positive associations between superintendent longevity and experience with measures of student achievement.
Background Checks. The proposed bill would add the newly proposed site administrator and
superintendent licenses to the licenses the School Personnel Act requires applicants to undergo a criminal history check for. An existing exception for practice teachers and teaching interns would be removed from the law. Effective July 1, 2023, PED began requiring teacher residents to hold a teacher resident license, which requires a background check. State law requires all individuals who commit to serving in schools on a regular basis to undergo a background check. Principal Salary Requirements. The proposed bill would not change principal salary
requirements but would move principal salary requirements from the definitions section of the School Personnel Act to the newly proposed site administrator licensure requirements, which could allow these to be easier to find. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
• LESC Files
AA/mca/jkh