Members of our family has been deeply involved in public education in Alamogordo for over half a century. We have seen the triumphs and challenges that come with educating our youth. Today, we face a new challenge - the proposal to establish an independent charter school outside of the Alamogordo Public Schools (APS) system called the Sacramento School of Engineering and Science.

This proposal has been engineered by a small elite group of individuals without significant public input and behind closed doors. The proposal has already been draped in controversy with one founding board member resignation due to a "perceived conflict of interest." The pre-application submitted claimed to have support of the local press and local school board members and yet none have gone on official public record in support but one school board member has committed a personal contribution as "seed money for launch."

APS has been serving our community for 125 years, fostering an environment of collaborative education that prepares children for success. It was once among the top ranked systems nationwide, and we firmly believe it can regain this standing through continued collaboration and support but not with division and pulling the brightest students out of the system and the public funding that would follow the students out of the system to one without transparency and public oversight.

The proposed charter school threatens to undermine this long-standing tradition of transparency and community pride. Charter schools in New Mexico operate outside of district oversight leading to potential discrepancies in educational quality and access. The National Education Policy Center reports that charter schools tend to underperform when compared to traditional public schools (NEPC, 2020). The New Mexico State Auditors office has issued advisory to the state legislature of concern about a lack of legislation ensuring fiscal oversight and that the system is ripe for fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars that would leave APS and enter this new system with less transparency.

Moreover, the proposed charter school would siphon public funds away from Alamogordo High School. The funds diverted to the charter school would leave AHS with fixed costs but reduced resources, negatively affecting the education of students with greater needs. Charter schools have been known to exploit neurotypical and special education students due to the additional funding they receive. Charter schools often enroll students with milder special needs who receive full funding allocated for students with higher needs, leaving traditional public schools such as Alamogordo High School to serve the students with the greatest needs, but with substantially less funding and thus less staff resources and programs.

Moreover, diverting resources from APS could further strain our already stretched public school system while not necessarily providing better outcomes for students. The Economic Policy Institute found that charter schools often drain resources from traditional public schools without offering any clear academic advantages (EPI, 2018).

The city of Las Cruces, just up the road ,is experiencing an issue with a charter school that has been emboldened with fraud and mismanagement and is now on a state oversight watch list that could potentially pull its charter to operate. There is a lesson for Alamogordo to heed from that instance.

We are not against innovation or improvement in education, we support an enhanced STEM program as is being proposed, but but believe it should be within the framework of APS and hosted within Alamogordo High School!

A STEM program should not be competing against Alamogordo High School, with dollars from bond measures committed to AHS, which has served our city faithfully for over a century.

We urge you to consider these concerns seriously, as we strive towards providing ALL children in Alamogordo with equal access to a quality education they deserve, while preserving our cherished values and principles on which APS and more specifically, Alamogordo High School was built. 

The proposed charter school would pull up to 156 students out of Alamogordo High School into a new system without transparency of a publicly elected board. The fiscal strain on Alamogordo High School and the loss of students and funding would result in layoffs and a cut in programs within AHS.

We strongly support an enhanced STEM program at Alamogordo High School within the APS framework for students from Holloman AFB and Alamogordo.

Please sign this petition, if you stand with us in opposing the establishment of an independent charter school outside of APS system that would compete with Alamogordo High School for the best students from Alamogordo, New Mexico and from Holloman Air Force Base.

We, the undersigned, call upon the State of New Mexico Division of Charter Schools to heed our protests and take a stand in protecting the values and principles that make our public education system strong. We urge you to reject the proposed Sacramento School of Engineering and Science charter school as proposed that may compromise the equity, transparency, and community involvement that define our school district and our community.

We stand together as One Alamogordo and Holloman Community, committed to providing a fair and equitable educational experience for every student in our community on base and in the city.

We implore you to say NO to the privatization of our public education system, and to allow us to continue our proud tradition via a locally elected school board of transparently nurturing the growth and education of our future leaders in Alamogordo.

We are Pro Alamogordo and Holloman, and we stand united for the preservation and support of our public education system and Alamogordo High School with a 125 year history of Tiger pride.