The bill amends existing laws related to public school finance in New Mexico by establishing program units specifically for licensed school employees who hold bilingual endorsements and endorsements for teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). It modifies Section 22-8-18 NMSA 1978 to include new program units for these endorsements, specifically adding "bilingual endorsement" and "teaching English to speakers of other languages endorsement" to the list of program units used for calculating program costs. The bill also updates the total number of program units from a maximum of 15 to 17, reflecting these additions.

Additionally, the bill amends Section 22-8-23.4 NMSA 1978 to outline how program units for licensed school employees with these endorsements will be calculated. It specifies that the number of program units for employees with bilingual endorsements will be determined by multiplying the number of such employees by one, while those with ESOL endorsements will be calculated by multiplying by one-half. The approval of these units is contingent upon verification by the school district or charter school that the employees hold the appropriate endorsements and are receiving a salary differential that meets specified criteria.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 22-8-18, 22-8-23.4