SENATE MEMORIAL 117

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Mimi Stewart

A MEMORIAL

URGING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO SEEK PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST CHARTER SCHOOLS WITH PLANNING AND FACILITIES AND TO MAINTAIN LISTS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DIRECT GRANTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS.

     WHEREAS, the United States department of education provides competitive grants to state education departments and to charter schools to assist new charter schools in planning and financing their operations; and

     WHEREAS, under some of the grants, it is the New Mexico public education department's responsibility to apply for charter school planning grants from the United States department of education on behalf of charter schools in the state; and

     WHEREAS, one of the functions of the secretary of public education is to apply for and receive grants; and

     WHEREAS, there are at least eight competitive grants administered by the federal charter schools program that are currently available to help both new charter schools and established charter schools; and

     WHEREAS, federal education grant 84.282A provides state education departments with federal funds to assist new charter schools with planning money; and

     WHEREAS, another federal education grant, 84.282D, provides state education departments with federal funds for per-student aid for financing charter school facilities, which may be applicable to New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, there is an exemplary collaboration grant that provides funding to high-quality charter schools to partner with non-chartered public schools and others to share best educational and operational practices; and

     WHEREAS, grants received by the public education department for charter schools, and grants the charter schools receive, help provide needed funding for planning, facilities, development and dissemination of best practices, collaboration and replication and expansion of high-quality public schools; and

     WHEREAS, everything that is planned, accomplished and improved in the public school system without state money means that state money can go further or be used more efficiently, in a system that is significantly underfunded, toward the constitutional requirement of sufficiency; and

     WHEREAS, the public education department should be the public school system's clearinghouse for all public schools seeking additional funding for their current programs or for program innovations and research-based teaching methodologies;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the public education department be urged to apply for every federal grant for which the state is qualified to provide funding assistance to new and established charter schools to help them become high-quality schools; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department keep current and disseminate a list of available public and private grants for which charter schools must apply directly; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of public education report to the legislative education study committee by November 1 on the department's success in applying for grants for charter schools; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of public education and the director of the legislative education study committee.

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