Leaders representing Taos charter schools asked the Taos Municipal Schools board on Oct. 9 to adopt a written addendum to the district’s proposed general obligation (GO) bond to clarify that charter schools will be eligible for some bond funds and to set an equitable allocation method.

The request came during public comment from Jeremy Jones, who identified himself as speaking on behalf of Taos Charter School leaders. "We recognize and fully support the need to prioritize the construction of a new middle school facility," Jones said. He asked the board to approve "a written addendum to be approved at the October 22 Taos school board meeting" that would “clearly state the inclusion of Taos charter schools, state and district authorized, in the bond.”

Jones said charter leaders accept the middle school as the first priority for the bond but asked that any remaining funds be distributed "equitably among district and charter schools based on each school certified fortieth day student enrollment calculated as a percentage of the total student population in Taos." He also requested a meeting among charter leaders, the superintendent and "a non quorum number of Taos school board members" to reach agreement before the Nov. 4 vote; Jones said that meeting had been agreed to by Superintendent Antonio Layton Jr. and President Flores for the week of Oct. 13 following a Oct. 7 special meeting.

Other public commenters echoed the call for clearer written commitments. Reverend Jill Klein said a written agreement about how remaining funds would be used would make her more likely to support and campaign for the bond: "If you could actually put something in writing that everybody agrees on, in terms of how after the middle school is addressed, the rest of the monies get used. I will not only vote for it, but I would actively campaign for it." Several speakers urged early, transparent communication of facility plans and timelines so the community can evaluate the bond proposition.

Superintendent Layton and board members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to follow up. Layton confirmed some logistics already: the district must meet a local match requirement to secure state capital-outlay funding through the Public School Capital Outlay Council, a requirement Jones mentioned in his remarks. Board members and the superintendent agreed to schedule the requested meeting and to circulate follow-up communications to charter operators.

The conversation comes after a special Oct. 7 meeting where initial bond priorities were discussed. Board members said they will seek to put any agreed language or clarifications before the board at the Oct. 22 meeting so that the district and interested charter operators have an explicit written understanding before the Nov. 4 vote.

The board did not take a formal vote on the addendum at the Oct. 9 meeting; Jones and others asked for a written addendum to be drafted and considered at the Oct. 22 meeting.