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SB 387

COMMUNITY SCHOOL FUND & FRAMEWORK

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Natalie Figueroa

SB 387 broadens flexible, up-to-three-year grants for NM community schools, renames the fund, and requires PED to run a competitive, evidence-based grant program.

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Bill Summary · SB 387

SB 387 — Community School Fund & Framework (New Mexico) — Summary

Status: Signed into law
Introduced: February 14, 2025
Subject: Education / Public Schools
Effective: Applies beginning with the 2025–2026 school year

Main purpose

SB 387 adjusts the state policy and grant framework that supports “community schools” in New Mexico. It gives the Public Education Department (PED) more flexibility in awarding implementation grants and renames the state community schools fund in honor of Dr. Jeannie Oakes.

Key provisions

  • Grants: Clarifies and modifies statutory grant amounts administered by PED:
    • Planning grants: remain up to $50,000 (one‑time, one year) to support needs assessment and planning.
    • Implementation grants: change from a fixed $150,000 per year for three years to grants awarded “up to $150,000” per year for up to three years. (This allows award amounts below $150,000.)
    • Renewal grants: remain available after the initial three‑year period; amount determined by PED.
  • Fund rename: Renames the community schools fund to the “Dr. Jeannie Oakes memorial community schools fund.”
  • Program structure and oversight: Reinforces that PED will run a competitive grant program (developed with the Coalition for Community Schools) and promulgate rules and procedures for awarding funds. Applicants must meet eligibility and evaluation requirements and use evidence-based implementation and evaluation practices.
  • Administrative note: Grants are intended to support a continuum of development (planning → implementation → renewal). If a district receives funds for three or more sites, it must employ a community schools director/manager and ensure a coordinator at each site.

Who is affected

  • Public Education Department (administrative duties and rulemaking)
  • School districts, groups of public schools, and individual public schools that apply for community school grants
  • Regional education partners and community-based organizations that serve as lead partner agencies on school sites

Fiscal and timeline implications

  • SB 387 does not itself appropriate funds. The FY26 General Appropriation Act (House version) included $6 million for community schools (with $400,000 available for evaluation/accreditation). LFC and PED materials note the change could allow PED to support more schools by awarding smaller grants, but could also reduce the scope of services at some sites.
  • Effective beginning in the 2025–2026 school year.

Administrative and performance considerations

  • PED will need to update administrative rules and guidance to implement flexible award amounts and to define criteria for grant amounts and renewal awards.
  • Ongoing evaluation and accreditation work is underway (PED partnerships with SWIFT Community Schools and an external evaluator). The bill aligns with existing efforts to assess implementation fidelity and long‑term outcomes.
  • Evidence summary: National research suggests well‑implemented community schools can improve attendance, behavior, graduation and other outcomes; New Mexico evaluations are ongoing.

Related measures

  • The bill is related to Senate Joint Resolution 8 (proposed constitutional amendment addressing children’s rights and access to fully resourced community schools) and builds on prior state Community Schools Act funding and task‑force work (House Memorial 44).

For more detail, see the PED and Legislative Finance (LFC/LESC) analyses and the enacted statutory text amending Section 22‑32‑4 and Section 22‑32‑8, NMSA 1978.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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