New Mexico legislation · 2026 Regular Session
New Mexico HB253: PUBLIC EDUCATION CHANGES
Status: Signed into law, February 25, 2026
What the bill says
An act relating to public schools; amending the public school finance act; requiring school districts and charter schools to report membership estimates of students to be enrolled as distance learning students; requiring school districts and charter schools to maintain certain records regarding students enrolled in a distance learning program; excluding a school district's membership of students enrolled in distance learning programs from the calculation for size adjustment program units; amending the statewide cyber academy act and renaming that act the "distance learning act"…
From the enrolled text, February 25, 2026:
AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; AMENDING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE ACT; REQUIRING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS TO REPORT MEMBERSHIP ESTIMATES OF STUDENTS TO BE ENROLLED AS DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS; REQUIRING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS TO MAINTAIN CERTAIN RECORDS REGARDING STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM; EXCLUDING A SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MEMBERSHIP OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS FROM THE CALCULATION FOR SIZE ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM UNITS; AMENDING THE STATEWIDE CYBER ACADEMY ACT AND RENAMING THAT ACT THE "DISTANCE LEARNING ACT"; REMOVING EXISTING DEFINITIONS AND DEFINING NEW TERMS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE ACT AND THE DISTANCE LEARNING ACT; REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE STATEWIDE CYBER ACADEMY BE A COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM; PROVIDING ALL-NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT OPERATE DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS; PLACING RESTRICTIONS ON STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AND PROVIDING EXCEPTIONS; CLARIFYING THE REQUIREMENTS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS REGARDING DISTANCE LEARNING AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES; REQUIRING PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT EVALUATION OF DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS; MAKING CONFORMING AMENDMENTS; ENACTING TEMPORARY PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE ACT; ENACTING TEMPORARY PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE DISTANCE LEARNING ACT; REPEALING SECTION HEC/HB 253/a/ec Page 22-30-8 NMSA 1978 (BEING LAWS 2007, CHAPTER 292, SECTION AND LAWS 2007, CHAPTER 293, SECTION 7); DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF …