NMCSP Subgrant Competition

The Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to PED in 2017, funds new school subgrants to eligible applicants who are opening new charter schools and expansion subgrants to eligible high quality charter schools that are expanding their enrollment by increasing their enrollment cap or adding new grade levels served.

Award amounts are based on the school’s proposed grade levels and proposed enrollment at the school’s cap in the final year of grant funding, but shall not exceed $900,000. Funding will be calculated using the following per pupil amounts:

Note: PED has submitted an application amendment request to USDE in November, 2020, requesting a 30% increase in per pupil funding amounts for CSP grants. If the amendment is approved, PED will notify subgrant applicants that additional funding is available.

ELIGIBILITY

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Entities eligible for the New School NMCSP Subgrant are those entities that:

• have applied to an authorized public chartering authority* in New Mexico to operate a charter school and provided adequate and timely notice to that authorized public chartering authority;
• demonstrate the capacity to create a high-quality charter school as defined in ESEA section 4303;
• are selected as the highest scoring applicants through a rigorous application and peer review process.

Entities eligible for an Expansion Subgrant are those that:

• are operating a high quality charter school in New Mexico, which is defined as a school that has earned a spotlight designation or a school grade of B or better in each of the last 3 years [2 years, due to assessment waiver in spring 2020], does not meet TSI/CSI criteria, and has had no significant adverse audit findings or organizational non-compliance;
• intend to substantially expand the number of students served by the school by increasing the enrollment cap, increase the grade levels served, or open a new school or new school site (i.e., replicating the current school);
• have applied, through an amendment request or another process established by the authorized public chartering authority, to expand or replicate their charter school and provided adequate and timely notice to that authorized public chartering authority of the request;
• demonstrate the capacity to create a high-quality charter school – as defined in ESEA section 4303;
• are selected as the highest scoring applicants through a rigorous application and peer review process.

APPLICATION PROCESS

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Phase I

New Schools: In the first phase, applicants submit a letter of intent to apply for a CSP subgrant. Applicants must have submitted an application to operate a charter school to an authorized public chartering authority in New Mexico and provided adequate and timely notice to that chartering authority. Applicants who submit to an authorizer other than the Public Education Commission (PEC) will need to ensure the CSP program manager receives a copy of the application.

Expansion Schools: Submit a letter of intent to apply for a CSP subgrant. The form requires the school to confirm that they are eligible for the subgrant, including that they meet the definition of a high-quality school. The NMCSP program manager will review the school’s academic performance, financial performance, and organizational performance through documentation from the authorized public chartering authority and the appropriate PED bureaus and notify schools that meet the eligibility requirements.

Download the New Mexico Charter Schools Program Competitive Subgrant Application 2021 Phase 1: New Schools  

Download the New Mexico Charter Schools Program Competitive Subgrant Application 2021 Phase 1: Expansion Schools

Phase II

Applicants meeting the eligibility requirements will

• Complete and submit a subgrant application,
• Complete a school leader interview, and
• Participate in a community input hearing (expansion schools only).

Subgrant Application

The application requires applicants to describe the planned activities for the term of the subgrant requested, and to provide a budget detailing anticipated expenditures. The application scoring requirements are as follows:

• No response is evaluated as “Falls Far Below the Criteria”;
• No more than 3 responses may be evaluated as “Approaches the Criteria”; and
• The applicant must earn 80% of the available points or more.

Download the New Mexico Charter Schools Program Competitive Subgrant Application 2021 Phase II: New Schools

Download the New Mexico Charter Schools Program Competitive Subgrant Application 2021 Phase II: Expansion Schools 

Download the NMCSP Subgrant Phase II Application Appendix A (Budget).

Subgrant Application Calendar and Deadlines

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis in order to allow schools ready to apply early to have budget authority sooner, as well as allowing schools to have more time to prepare their applications if needed. Applications may be submitted any time after the application is released. All applications must be submitted by July 30, 2021 at 5:00 PM MDT. The Subgrant Application Calendar  contains all dates in the process.

Subgrant Awards                                               

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Applicants that meet the minimum scoring requirements will be eligible for funding. The NMCSP Program Manager will notify all applicants whether their applications have been funded.

For more information about the NMCSP grant, including staff contact information, please see the main NMCSP grant web page.