Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the Legislature. LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they
are used for other purposes.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Figueroa
LAST UPDATED
ORIGINAL DATE 2/20/25
SHORT TITLE Community School Fund & Framework
BILL
NUMBER Senate Bill 387
ANALYST Mabe
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT*
(dollars in thousands)
Agency/Program
FY25 FY26 FY27
3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring or
Nonrecurring
Fund
Affected
No fiscal impact
Parentheses ( ) indicate expenditure decreases.
*Amounts reflect most recent analysis of this legislation.
Relates to Senate Joint Resolution 8
Relates to an appropriation in the General Appropriation Act
Sources of Information
LFC Files
Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) Files
Economic Policy Institute (EPI)
Agency Analysis Received From
Public Education Department (PED)
Regional Education Cooperatives (REC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Senate Bill 387
Senate Bill 387 (SB387) increases flexibility in the amount of grant funding awarded by the
Public Education Department (PED) for community school implementation and updates the
language around integrated student supports in the community school framework to more
broadly address noninstructional school barriers. The bill also renames the community schools
fund as the Dr. Jeannie Oakes memorial community schools fund. The provisions of this bill take
effect in the 2025-2026 school year.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
This bill does not include an appropriation. The LFC recommendation for the General
Appropriation Act appropriates $6 million for community schools, including $400 thousand that
can be used by PED to evaluate and accredit community schools. It also directs PED to prioritize
awarding grants to school districts and charter schools that are investing in their own community
schools with local matching funds. Senate Bill 387 – Page 2
Previously, implementation grants were available to schools in the amount of $150 thousand
annually for three years. The bill amends that to allow grants “up to” $150 thousand. This means
that schools can now be awarded less than that, which could allow more schools to be supported,
while also possibly changing the scope of their work because of reduced funding.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
PED defines community schools as “a whole child, comprehensive strategy to transform schools
into places where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to
strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy development.” What this looks like varies
from school to school, but in general community schools strive to be community activity hubs
that address various needs of students and their families by providing before- and after-school
programming, meals, physical and mental health supports, adult learning opportunities, and other
services.
The Legislature passed the Community Schools Act in 2013, which allowed any public school
that offers wraparound services to become a community school. But a Learning Policy Institute
report from this year notes that community schools in New Mexico date back to at least the
1930s with community schools in tribal communities. Legislative funding started in FY20,
detailed in the chart below. It grew steadily until the 2024 legislative session when other PED
requests began taking up a larger priority. Questions around the effectiveness of community
schools in New Mexico had already begun to surface in 2023, with the passage of House
Memorial 44 requesting PED to convene a community school task force to evaluate funding,
return on investment, and measures of success as well as to develop a long-term plan.
Fiscal Year Amount
2020 $2,000,000
2021 $3,300,000
2022 $5,000,000
2023 $8,000,000
2024 $10,000,000
2025 $8,000,000
2026 LFC Recommendation
1
$6,000,000
1. The executive and LESC recommendations include $8 million for community schools.
Learning Policy Institute (LPI) researchers have been studying New Mexico community schools
since 2023. According to a 2021 report, co-authored by Jeannie Oakes, the return on investment
for every dollar invested in community schools ranges from $3 to $15 for outcomes like higher
graduation, higher employment, and lower incarceration rates.
The preliminary report from the House Memorial 44 task force embraces six key practices of the
community school strategy:
1. Powerful student and family engagement;
2. Collaborative leadership, shared power and voice;
3. Expanded culturally enriched learning opportunities;
4. Rigorous community-connected classroom instruction;
5. Culture of belonging, safety and care; Senate Bill 387 – Page 3
6. Integrated systems of support.
Provisions of this bill remove components of the current community schools framework from
statute, which include:
Expanded and enriched learning time,
Active family and community engagement, and
Collaborative leadership and practices that build a culture of professional learning.
LESC’s analysis notes that a full report is due in 2025. Other evaluations stemming from the
memorial are underway, including an evaluation project, called the graduated cohort study group
(GCSG), which is looking at 22 community schools to develop an accreditation process.
Senate Bill 373 reflects changes in research by replacing two pages of detail about what
integrated student supports will address with the responsive and inclusive language of
“noninstructional school barriers.”
The bill also renames the community schools fund as the Dr. Jeannie Oakes memorial
community schools fund. Jeannie Oaks (1943-2024) was a senior fellow in residence at the
Learning Policy Institute and professor emeritus in educational equity at the University of
California in Los Angeles. She moved to Santa Fe in 2014 and studied education policy here.
She published several LPI reports on the success and challenges of community schools in New
Mexico.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
According to LPI, when community schools are well designed and fully implemented, they
increase student success both academically and socially. Students achieve higher rates of
graduation, lower absenteeism, and help close achievement gaps. While community schools are
an evidence-based strategy in national studies, the fidelity of implementation to this strategy and
its impacts in New Mexico schools remain unclear and require further study.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
PED notes it would need to develop guidelines for determining award amounts and update
guidance to reflect the current community school framework.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
Senate Bill 387 relates to Senate Joint Resolution 8, which amends the New Mexico Constitution
to add children’s rights, including access to fully resourced community schools. It also relates to
the General Appropriation Act, which appropriates $6 million for community schools.
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