Bill > SB563

This bill amends existing New Mexico law to increase the minimum number of instructional hours and days required for public school students, with the changes applying to the 2017-2018 school year and beyond, and becoming effective only if a related constitutional amendment is approved. Specifically, it mandates longer school days and more school days per year for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, requiring 1,127.5 instructional hours over 205 days, while sixth graders will have 990 hours per year and seventh through twelfth graders will have 1,080 hours per year. The bill also clarifies that certain activities like home visits by teachers or parent-teacher conferences can count towards instructional hours, but days missed due to weather or teacher planning will not. Additionally, it adjusts the calculation of funding units for early childhood education and basic programs by modifying "MEM" (membership) and "cost differential factors," which are used to determine how much state funding schools receive based on student enrollment and program needs.