New Mexico's graduation reform bill is on its way to the House floor

Bill updating high school graduation requirements clears House floor

The bill faced some criticism over omission of a standalone financial literacy requirement.

The path to the Senate floor is clear for New Mexico's high school graduation requirements bill

HB 171 expected to be taken up in the coming days.

Cue up “Pomp and Circumstance” — New Mexico’s graduation reform bill has checked off its first major hurdle in the Roundhouse.

House Bill 171, which would make significant updates to the requirements New Mexico high schoolers must fulfill before graduation, passed the House Education Committee on Monday, its only obstacle before the House floor.

Much of the bill is devoted to creating more flexibility for students, a point that many supporters touted Monday.

“This bill does not lower the bar for our graduates,” said Danny Parker, Artesia Public Schools assistant superintendent. “... It makes it more appropriate for students with a different definition of success than just going to college after high school.”

High school seniors would still need to complete 24 units to graduate under HB 171, which is sponsored by Rep. G Andrés Romero, D-Albuquerque; House Minority Leader Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec; and Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque.

Few spoke in opposition to the bill, but they raised similar concerns that opponents did last year, criticizing the omission of financial literacy as a requirement for graduation as well as the removal of Algebra II from that list of mandatory courses for graduation.

“We can’t say that we’re a state who takes our poverty problem seriously when we don’t require our young people to understand from an early age how to manage money and set themselves and their families up for financial stability and success,” said Sara Fitzgerald, a senior vice president with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.

Financial literacy is an option for students under multiple categories, though some have still argued the course needs to be a stand-alone requirement. Romero also noted during the meeting that Algebra II still must be offered at every school.

“This is an important bill to re-engage our students, and hopefully help with attendance rates,” Romero later told the Journal. “… What we’re really looking at doing is inserting student voice, student opinion and student direction into their education.”

HB 171 has been in the making for some time. Last year’s iteration was the subject of much debate, but ultimately sailed through the House and Senate before being cut down by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who said in a veto message the bill “(weakened) graduation standards.”

Before HB 171 was introduced this year, the governor’s office said it was working with the Legislative Education Study Committee and the bill’s sponsors to amend the measure.

Here are the requirements students would need to graduate under HB 171:

• Four units of English, the last of which could be more flexible, such as journalism course;
• Four units of math, two of which must generally be Algebra I and Geometry, but the rest of which appear to be flexible and could be fulfilled by such courses as financial literacy;
• Three units of science, two of which must have a laboratory component and the other which can be more geared toward things such as work-based learning;
• Four units of social science, which include U.S. history and geography, government, economics and financial literacy, and world history and geography. The final unit is also flexible and can include such things as psychology or ethnic studies;
• Five and a half units of electives, which vary wildly, and also can include financial literacy courses as well as computer science and career-technical education courses;
• Two courses set by the local school district or governing board;
• One unit of physical education, which can include courses in things such as dance and marching band;
• And half a unit in health.