As a community member, parent of former Santa Fe Public Schools students and a past school board member, I do not support adding another public charter school to the Santa Fe community. The proposed Thrive Community Charter School could potentially take 600 students from the Santa Fe school district, thereby further reducing enrollment and the corresponding state funding allocations.

The basic question the Public Education Commission needs to weigh is “should the benefits to potentially 600 students outweigh the needs of over 12,000 students?” With declining birth rates, limited financial resources, teacher shortages and existing charter/private schools, I believe the Santa Fe area already provides ample K-12 educational opportunities.

Please err on the side of caution and make sure all students have a quality education. Instead of adding more schools, work to strengthen what Santa Fe already has. I recommend the application for this charter school be denied.

Maureen Cashmon Santa Fe