Dear, Editor:
Last week the New Mexico Public Education Commission, the agency that oversees charter schools in the state, voted 7-1 to revoke the charter of La Tierra Montessori School for the Arts and Sciences (LTMAS), a K-8 school of about 100 children that has existed for many years in the Española Valley. While the school remains open until June, children will have to find other schools this fall. We are frustrated, as parents were shut out of the process and given limited information by the school’s Governing Council about what was happening. Our offers to be included more intentionally in the process towards fixing the school’s issues were ignored. Unwillingness to share power and information were the reasons that the school failed.
We believe Española’s children need and deserve a choice like LTMAS, and for that reason we have formed a workgroup to discuss how we can rise from the ashes of La Tierra and forge a new Montessori school that follows a community-based model of learning. We envision a school that centers students’ socio-emotional well-being while providing a rich, science and arts-based curriculum based on Española Valley’s local context. A school where teachers have freedom to implement a curriculum that is meaningful and based in history, but also catalyzes change to address our Valley’s issues – where children gain pride in who they are, but also self-awareness about their actions. If this educational choice speaks to you, we invite you to join the Española Community Montessori Group on Facebook.
Melissa Salazar,
Ohkay Owingeh