Senator Gay Kernan

New School Leadership Institute to Help Produce Better School Principals for Better Schools-Institute Housed at UNM

SB 85- School Leadership Institute, Senator Gay Kernan, passed Senate 35 to 0.

Ensuring every public school in New Mexico has a quality principal is the goal of a bill that passed the New Mexico State Senate unanimously today. Senate Bill 85- School Leadership Institute- creates the institute within the Department of Higher Education to provide a comprehensive framework for preparing and mentoring principals and other public school leaders to become more effective and improve education in the state.

State Senator Gay Kernan (R-Hobbs) sponsored SB 85 because she knows how critical good principals are for the state.

“As an educator, I value how the tremendous leadership a school principal can positively affect the success of a school and its students. If that leadership is not there, a school won’t be as successful. I am confident this leadership institute will help mentor and develop strong, effective school principals who will make their schools shine,” Senator Kernan said.

Senator Kernan said the goal of the institute is to develop a core educational leadership curriculum that focuses on what principals need to know to be able to improve student learning.

Senator Kernan said the institute is critical to help principals with all of the additional responsibilities they have been given over recent years. “School principals today have to be experts in so many areas that weren’t required a few short years ago, this institute will help them receive the additional training they need. I know this training will be welcomed and it is so critical for good schools,” Senator Kernan said.

The institute will be housed at the University of New Mexico. Last year, $200,000 worth of funding to establish the institute was included in the General Appropriations Act of 2009. An additional $210,000 was provided by the Wallace Foundation which was procured by the Office of Educational Accountability.
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Through the institute, a minimum of five programs will be provided.

· Licensure preparation for aspiring principals.
· Mentoring for new principals.
· Intensive support for principals in schools in need of improvement.
· Professional development for aspiring superintendents.
· Mentoring for new superintendents.

The Legislative Education Study Committee endorsed SB 85.

The bill now goes to the House for consideration.