Consortium of public school districts formed

A new consortium of New Mexico public school districts and charter schools will allow students to enroll in virtual courses from anywhere in the state, the state’s Public Education Department announced Friday.

So far, seven districts and charter schools — including Tucumcari and San Jon — are participating in the New Mexico Virtual Course Consortium by agreeing to enroll students from other districts in their online course offerings.

Students will remain enrolled in their home district, which will pay the providing district $375 per course, per student.

“The pandemic showed us the full potential of virtual learning as a way to expand student access to courses that may not be available in every district,” Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said Friday. “As this consortium continues to grow, New Mexico students will be able to explore new topics and take advanced courses no matter where they live.”

The participating districts and charter schools are: Cuba Public Schools, Taos Academy, Siembra Leadership High School (Albuquerque), School of Dreams (Albuquerque), Tucumcari Public Schools, San Jon Municipal Schools and Carlsbad School District.

Their course offerings and other information are available on the consortium’s new website: webnew.ped.state.nm.us

/new-mexico-virtual-course-consortium/.

“The virtual consortium allows us to honor the strengths of our schools and districts and build innovation using the very assets that have blossomed in the state,” Deputy Secretary Gwen Perea Warniment said.

Any public school district or charter school that can provide high quality online courses that align with state standards is eligible to join the consortium. Any district or school in New Mexico can request to enroll a student in an online course through the consortium.

Districts providing online courses and the student’s home district will sign a memorandum of understanding for each course. Students and their parents must sign an agreement committing to the project and attesting that they have the needed technology to fully participate.