Hundreds of School Choice Supporters to Rally at Capitol on 1/28

Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera will join supporters;
Governor Susana Martinez has proclaimed New Mexico School Choice Week

SANTA FE, New Mexico–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Students, parents, teachers, and community leaders will participate in
National School Choice Week by gathering in Santa Fe on Thursday,
January 28.

The event, which will begin at 1 p.m. on the Capitol steps, will include
remarks from Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera, alongside
representatives from all educational options: traditional public
schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, online academies,
private schools, and home schools. Student performances will follow,
featuring Tierra Adentro: The New Mexico School of Academics, Art and
Artesanía, Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, and New Mexico School for
the Arts.

The goal of the event is twofold: to celebrate educational opportunity
in the state and to raise awareness among families about the choices
available to them.

The celebration is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week
(January 24-30, 2016), which will be America’s largest-ever celebration
of opportunity in education, with more than 16,000 events being planned
nationwide.

“The New Mexico Department of Education is excited for the opportunity
to celebrate all forms of education currently serving students here in
New Mexico,” said Katie Poulos of the New Mexico Department of
Education. “This event is an opportunity to join the nationwide movement
for educational opportunity as a difference-maker in young people’s
lives.”

“School choice is not about any one type of school,” said Kelly Callahan
of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools. “That’s why we’re
excited to come together as a broad coalition and show parents just what
each option has to offer them.”

“School choice is about empowering parents and students, instead of
bureaucrats and unions,” said Crystal Rodriguez of The LIBRE Initiative.
“It’s about making sure that minorities and the economically
disadvantaged have the opportunity to make choices when it comes to
receiving a quality education essential to a lifetime of well-being and
prosperity – just as the privileged, well-connected and elite do.”

The event is being planned by groups including the Public Education
Department, the Rio Grande Foundation, the New Mexico Coalition for
Charter Schools, and The LIBRE Initiative.

Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public
awareness effort designed to shine a positive spotlight on effective
education options for every child. Through thousands of independently
planned events across the country, National School Choice Week raises
public awareness of all types of educational choices available to
children. These options include traditional public schools, public
charter schools, public magnet schools, online learning, private
schools, and homeschooling.

Contacts

New Mexico Department of Education
Aimee Barabe, (505) 412-3571
aimee.barabe@state.nm.us