Sorry, I’ve been pretty sporadic about posting lately. There is so much going on in the political arena with all of the open (and opening) seats for Congress, and yet, there really isn’t anything happening. Names are still be floated. People are still trying to figure out what to do. And, the reality is that if folks don’t make a decision soon, no one is going to care until after the holiday season.
So, instead of writing about politics I thought I’d throw my two cents in about this little charter school article (subscription) that appeared in the Journal on Sunday:
[New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Lisa] Grover wants to challenge the 1999 law limiting the number of charters to 75 start-ups in a five-year period. The state now has 65, averaging almost 10 a year since 2000.
“It’s one of the most insidious caps,” she said.
Also, charters are not allowed to expand beyond a maximum enrollment set at their initial application.
“If a school is proving itself,” Grover said, “why should that school have to wait until renewal time to open up its classrooms to more kids?”
There are 3,500 students on waiting lists for these schools, she said, indicating “we need to grow.”
If people want to send their kids to charter schools, they should be able to do so. The maximum enrollment cap is ridiculous and should be eliminated by the legislature.