Aug. 15—The New Mexico Public Education Commission on Thursday approved plans for a new charter school in Santa Fe — with conditions.
Proposed by educators and families connected to the former Santa Fe Waldorf School — which abruptly closed its doors in August 2023 — Sun Mountain Community School would be a free, public school option based in Waldorf principles, such as a developmental approach to learning, emphasis on outdoor education and use of movement in the classroom. It is expected to open in fall 2025.
In a 5-3 vote, members of the Public Education Commission voiced their support for the school and its founding members but imposed conditions for its “implementation year” — a preparation period in 2024-25 intended to set the school up for success when it opens.
Commissioners, who in a previous hearing voiced concerns about the adequacy of Sun Mountain Charter School’s outreach efforts, required the founders to develop and implement a plan to reach out to families beyond those tied to the former Waldorf school — something commissioners noted is essential to create a school population that reflects the diversity of its community.
“What I wouldn’t want to see is the private Waldorf community become the public Waldorf community,” Commissioner Timothy Beck said.
The commission’s decision came despite a final recommendation of denial from the state Public Education Department’s Charter Schools Division, which cited a lack of community support. In addition to objecting to the proposed school’s academic and organizational frameworks, division analysts wrote, “The school is not in the best interest of the community.”
However, an official with the agency told the commission Thursday the applicants had made changes to their plan to meet state requirements.
Zoe Wilcox, one of new charter school’s founders, told the commission the applicants had conducted significant outreach. They hosted town halls, connected with local organizations and engaged in about 160 conversations about the proposed school with Santa Fe people, she added.
“There is something special in the Waldorf student — so what is it?” Wilcox said. “If you haven’t experienced it, it’s easy to confuse for the privilege of economic status or being a part of the ethnic majority, but our community support shows the privilege is not that. The privilege is the education itself.”
A couple of dozen parents and educators — many of them connected with the shuttered Waldorf school — joined the meeting and sent in letters to express their support for the proposed charter.
“These voices count, and these voices matter,” Wilcox said.
Like all New Mexico charter schools, the school eventually would select its students through a lottery-based admissions process.
Commissioner Steven Carrillo, who represents Santa Fe, argued questions about enrollment diversity and inclusion could be solved with a conditional charter approval and more outreach during the school’s implementation year.
In his mind, Carrillo said, “If you build it, they will come. … I believe at least five families will move to Santa Fe because we have a public Waldorf.”
Commissioner Rebekka Burt voted against the proposal after expressing her concerns about moving forward with a publicly funded Waldorf school without a broad base of support from outside the former private Waldorf school and so soon after its closure.
“I do care deeply about the health of the sector, and I am concerned about the optics of looking like we can take a private school and make it a public school,” she said.
Charter Schools Division Director Corina Chavez told the commission the applicants were able to make a persuasive case, even after the agency recommended denial of a charter.
“I feel like this application team has worked really hard on all parts of the application process — today is a testament for this — and have listened to feedback,” she said.
The Sun Mountain team plans to continue listening, said Jayita Sahni, another of the school’s founders.
“I think we have demonstrated that we hear feedback and we respond to it. … We got some very valuable feedback today,” Sahni said in an interview after the hearing.
She added the application team will continue to “work really hard” to meet the commission’s expectations as they move forward with the new school.
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