Lawmakers consider making high school equivalency tests free for some New Mexicans
Students hold diplomas after completing educational requirements. (Getty Images)
Jorge Rodriguez has lived in Lea County for a year, working as a fitness instructor to provide for his family, but says he is limited in his professional growth without a GED certificate.
And right now, he can't afford the cost of the certification test.
'If high school equivalency testing were free and if there were more testing centers like that in my rural community, I would be able to get my certification and then scale up in English and other skills,' Rodriguez said during a March 3 House Appropriations and Finance Committee hearing on House Bill 167. Rodriguez testified in Spanish with English translation on behalf of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a New Mexico organization that advocates for immigrant workers and racial justice.
Under HB167, the Higher Education Department, which sponsors the bill, would pay for high school equivalency tests for New Mexico residents who are at least 16, do not have a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate and who have passed an equivalency practice test with scores indicating they will likely pass the official test.
According to the bill's fiscal impact report, the cost is $145 per exam. Less than 6,000 New Mexicans took the exam during FY24, which would have cost the department about $870,000.
The Higher Education Department noted in the report that an estimated 190,000 adults in the state lack a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; people with those certifications earn about $6,500 more annually.
The department also said in a news release that if the tests were free for New Mexicans, there would be an estimated 20 to 40% increase in test participation.
'We continue to look for more ways to reduce costs for New Mexicans looking to enhance their career and workforce potential,' Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez said in a statement. 'A high school equivalency can unlock so many new pathways, and this legislation to eliminate barriers will benefit tens of thousands of New Mexicans.'
Marcela Díaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, told Source NM the organization supports the bill because it removes a barrier that immigrants and lower income people in general face in advancing their educational and professional careers. She said other barriers include childcare, transportation, equipment and access to broadband.
Díaz said many of the immigrants her organization works with can become stuck in low wage jobs because they do not have their high school diploma or equivalency certificate to enroll in certificate programs, apprenticeships or other forms of higher education.
'A lot of our folks come to the state older,' Díaz told Source NM, adding that they may need further assistance in 'shoring up' skills so they are prepared to pass equivalency exams. She said Somos Un Pueblo Unido advocates for more funding for adult education as a whole and described it as an 'on-ramp' for immigrant workers in particular.
A woman identified only as Lucero spoke in favor of the bill during the March 10 Senate Education hearing and also represented Somos Un Pueblo Unido. She spoke in Spanish with English translation, explaining to committee members that she is a working mother and has spent five years trying to finish her studies so she might work in an office.
'In these times, everything has gone up in price: the bills, the rent, the food. Thinking about paying the extra for exams…has limited me in continuing in school,' Lucero said.
Leah Ellis, a student ambassador for the NM Adult Education Association, spoke in favor of the bill on March 3 and told lawmakers that she previously earned a high school equivalency certificate.
'Without a high school equivalency, doors to higher education and many career paths are effectively closed, preventing access to better opportunities,' Ellis said. 'The Opportunity Scholarship that you instated for myself and New Mexico's residents to benefit from become unreachable…without the high school equivalency diploma.'
HB167 is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee, its last committee referral before a Senate floor vote.
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