
Both applications were denied unanimously by commission members, following the
recommendation of the state Public Education Department’s staff members.
Organizers have been trying for several years to get the state to approve a charter school in Columbus which would serve 7th through 12th grade students living in southern Luna County,
including American citizen students living in Palomas, Mexico.
Supporters said the school would have featured a non-traditional school year, longer school day and partner organizations, and would have allowed parents to be more involved in their children’s education.
And organizers petitioned for another charter school in Deming. The Academic Opportunities Academy would have been a self-paced, individualized, multi-grade educational program serving grades 1-12 using a detailed curriculum mapping database.
Both groups said they would appeal the commission’s decision to State Public Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera.