CHANGE K-12 PROGRAM UNIT CALCULATION

HB0161

HOUSE BILL 161

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Elaine Sena Cortez

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE; CHANGING THE PROGRAM UNIT
CALCULATION FOR K-12 PLUS SCHOOLS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1.
Section 22-8-23.14 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2023,
Chapter 19, Section 3) is amended to read:

"22-8-23.14. K-12 PLUS PROGRAM UNITS--ADDITIONAL PROGRAM
UNITS.--

A. A public school operating on a five-day calendar
that provides more than one hundred eighty days of instruction

and more than one thousand one hundred forty hours of
instruction
, and a public school operating on a four-day
calendar that provides more than one hundred fifty-five days of
instruction
and more than one thousand one hundred forty hours
of instruction
, shall be considered a "K-12 plus school". Each
school district or charter school with a K-12 plus school shall
be eligible to receive program units for students in that
public school.

B. The number of K-12 plus program units is
determined [
by multiplying
]
as follows:

(1) for a K-12 plus school providing up to one

thousand one hundred ninety-five instructional hours, by
dividing the number of instructional hours provided between one
thousand one hundred forty and one thousand one hundred ninety-
five instructional hours by five and one-half, multiplying that
number by
the MEM in department-approved K-12 plus schools
and
multiplying that number
by the cost differential factor of
twelve thousandths and the number of instructional days;
[
provided between;

(1) one hundred eighty-one and one hundred
ninety instructional days for a public school with a five-day
school week; and

(2) one hundred fifty-six and one hundred
sixty-five instructional days for a public school with a four-day school week.

C. The number of K-12 plus program units is
determined by multiplying
]
and

(2) for a K-12 plus school that provides more
than one thousand one hundred ninety-five instructional hours:

(a) for a five-day K-12 plus school, by

dividing the number of instructional hours provided between one
thousand one hundred ninety-five and one thousand two hundred
seventy-seven and one-half by five and one-half, multiplying
that number by
the MEM in department-approved K-12 plus schools

and multiplying that number
by the cost differential factor of
sixteen thousandths; [
and the number of instructional days
provided between:

(1) one hundred ninety-one and two hundred
five instructional days for a public school with a five-day
school week; and

(2) one hundred sixty-six and one hundred
seventy-five instructional days for a public school with a
four-day school week
]
and

(b) for a four-day K-12 plus school, by
dividing the number of instructional hours provided between one
thousand one hundred ninety-five and one thousand two hundred
fifty by five and one-half, multiplying that number by the MEM
in department-approved K-12 plus schools and multiplying that
number by the cost differential factor of sixteen thousandths.

[
D.
]
C.
A school district is eligible for the total
number of program units calculated in this manner for every K-12 plus school in that school district.

[
E.
]
D.
No later than October 15 of each year, a
school district or charter school that wishes to establish a
new K-12 plus school for the next fiscal year shall submit to
the department the actual number of students participating in
each of its K-12 plus schools in the current year and an
estimate of the number of students that the school district or
charter school expects will participate in each K-12 plus
school in the next year.

[
F.
]
E.
No later than November 15 of each year, the
department shall notify the legislature of the number of
students participating in K-12 plus schools in the current
school year and the number of students projected to participate
in K-12 plus schools in the next school year."

SECTION 2.
APPLICABILITY.--The provisions of this act
apply to the 2026-2027 school year and subsequent school years.

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