Smaller Schools Make Fiscal, Education Sense

In case you did not pick up a copy of today’s Albuquerque Journal, I wrote in support of smaller schools as one means of improving New Mexico’s K-12 educational system. The proposal was originally put forth by Think New Mexico, another think tank here in New Mexico.

While we certainly don’t always agree with Fred Nathan and his organization all the time, the idea behind smaller schools is sound if policymakers commit to doing it without spending more money (a reasonable possibility). Now, to be fair, smaller schools are not my first choice when it comes to education reform. I’d rather have a total free market with only minimal government involvement in terms of helping the poor obtain educational opportunities. I’d also like to see tax credits or even vouchers.

Smaller schools by their very nature would allow for greater educational options for parents and students. Is it the ultimate solution to education reform? No, but we can’t continue to tolerate 50% graduation rates in New Mexico and smaller schools, if adopted, would likely improve our results.