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Charter leaders ask for lease assistance, revolving loan funds and transportation start-up support
Summary
Public charter leaders told LESC they need increased lease assistance (to track CPI), more funding for the Charter School Revolving Loan Fund, authority for nonprofit foundations to access NMFA loans, and help funding first-year transportation route start-up costs.
Public Charter Schools of New Mexico presented a sector-specific legislative platform that focused on facilities, financing, and access to transportation.
Matt Paul, speaking for Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, said lease assistance for charter facilities has fallen relative to costs — "Lease assistance...has gone from funding 65% of lease costs for charter schools to 59%" — and urged indexing that assistance to the Consumer Price Index. The association also asked for increased funding to the Charter School Revolving Loan Fund to expand access to facilities financing.
The charter sector proposed allowing the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) to loan funds to nonprofit foundations associated with charter schools, a mechanism already used for other public-sector affiliated nonprofits. Paul also raised exploring a standard local-match rate for capital awards because many charter schools lack property-tax capacity to meet high local-match requirements.
Jamie Gonzalez, the new advocacy director, touted recent charter-sector results and said charters now serve about 32,645 students (roughly 11% of statewide enrollment) across 104 schools. Charter advocates requested transportation funding reforms to address the first-year start-up cost burden, noting that establishing a bus route can require roughly $100,000 up front before state reimbursement in later years.
Charter leaders reiterated support for broader funding stability and welcomed continued collaboration with LESC staff during the interim to refine fiscal vehicles and statutory language ahead of the session.
