Poll shows New Mexico voters side with school choice across party lines 

New Mexico voters prefer candidates who support school choice, according to a new poll.

“Given a straight choice between a candidate who believes parents should be able to choose any school regardless of district lines and one who believes students should stay in their assigned public school, voters picked school choice by a landslide, 68% to 16%,” Parents for School Options, which commissioned the survey, said in a release.

The poll of 657 registered New Mexico voters was conducted Sept. 8-14 by Quantum Survey Group.

Support crossed party lines, with 74% of Republicans, 69% of swing voters and 61% of Democrats favoring a candidate who supports school choice. Additionally, 60% of voters said they were more likely to back a candidate who supports funding that follows children to the schools of their choice, which could include private schools.

State Rep. Alan Martinez, a school choice advocate, praised the results.

“We need to look at something out of the box that’s going to be successful. And so far, what I’m seeing is: school choice is best for New Mexico,” Martinez, R-Bernalillo, told the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Martinez also helped sponsor HB 245, the Denial of Enrollment to School bill, which would prevent public schools from limiting enrollment based on students’ residential addresses, provided the schools have capacity. The bill was postponed indefinitely in January.

The poll also found that 31% of voters were most concerned about curriculum quality in New Mexico’s public schools. School funding ranked next at 24%, followed by teacher pay at 14% and school safety at 11%.

Albuquerque Public Schools already allows parents to choose their child’s school within the district, provided the school has space, according to district spokesperson Martin Salazar.

Whitney Holland, president of the American Federation of Teachers of New Mexico, expressed concern about schools losing funding when students leave.

“Simplistically, I think we have a messaging problem. We ask parents, ‘Do you think you should have the right to choose where your kid goes to school?’ Of course, they’re going to say yes, but when you peel back the layers, it’s not just saying ‘We want options.’ It’s saying, ‘This money moves to this place,’” Holland told the New Mexican.

But Martinez said the state needs to change to improve its outcomes. The state has consistently ranked at or near the bottom on the NAEP, which is known as the nation’s report card. 

“It’s time for New Mexico to realize that what we’re doing is not working,” he said.

The poll also found that 76% of voters agreed that parents need a critical voice in their child’s education, and six in 10 voters were dissatisfied with the public school system.

New Mexico is one of 16 states without a school choice program. Two of its neighbors, Texas and Arizona, have choice programs with more than 100,000 students participating.

(Image credit: Rio Grande Foundation)