Our History    |
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The New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools ("the Coalition") is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit corporation formed in May 2002. It is the only state-wide professional organization serving New Mexico’s charter schools. Our mission is to increase student academic achievement by serving charter schools and advocating for charter school quality, growth, and autonomy. Prior to 2002, attempts to organize a collective entity had not been successful, and each charter school operated without support or communication from the larger public charter school community. Guided by a three year strategic plan and operating under a 12 member board of directors comprised of industry and education leaders, we are the leading advocate of charter schools and an important source of technical support and professional development for our teachers, administrators and governing council members. Public charter schools in New Mexico were first approved by the New Mexico Legislature in 1992. While New Mexico was among the first states to endorse charter schooling, the original legislation was, however, very narrow in scope, permitting only the conversion of existing traditional public schools to charter schools and allowing the charter school very limited control over its finances and hiring of personnel. Because of these weaknesses, very few schools converted to charters, and of those, very few succeeded. By 1998, all but one school had closed. In 1999, the legislature replaced the first charter school law with a stronger law, allowing for up to 100 charter schools (75 start-up and 25 conversions) within any five-year period. In 2006, working with the Governor and legislature, the Coalition helped to pass Senate Bill 600. Important policy improvements in SB 600 include creating a second authorizer and allowing state-chartered schools to become their own LEA’s. Today, public charter school growth in New Mexico is thriving, with an average of 6 schools opening each year since 2003. Today, more than 11,000 students attend a charter school in New Mexico, joining the approximately 1 million students who attend a public charter school in 40 states. Today, public charter schools are seen as an innovative part of the state’s public education system; more important, they act as the vehicle of reform for the traditional “one size fits all” model of education. The almost 20 years of experience with public charter schools across the country has shown that there are four primary ingredients of a successful public charter school sector in a state, as demonstrated by strong student results:
Our work will continue to ensure these additional ingredients exist in New Mexico’s charter sector. |
Board of Directors
- Doug Turner
- John Gallegos
- Ronald Toya
- Caryl Thomas
- Dr. Susanna Murphy
- Carlos Rey Romero
- Gregory Hartman
- Danielle Duran
- Bonnie Braden
- Mike May
- Doug Wine
Coalition Staff
- Dr. Bruce Hegwer
Executive Director - Michael Vigil
Chief Operations Officer - Mackenzie Webb
Member Services Coordinator - Mike Vigil II
Licensed Business Manager - Sean Fry
Licensed Business Manager - Justine Roybal
Licensed Business Manager - Gary Stepic
Licensed Business Manager - Charlotte Archuleta
Business Supervisor - German Martinez
Accounting Specialist - Mark Vigil
Accounting Specialist - Mollie Encee
Payroll Specialist - Lee Blankenship
AptaFund Specialist