OWNERSHIP

Santa Fe Public Schools

SIZE AND FUNCTIONALITY OF SITE

Turquoise Trail Elementary Charter School is located on 24.26 acres. The school was first opened in 1990. The total square footage is 56,328, with 2,688 square feet in portable buildings.

INFRASTRUCTURE (ON-SITE AND OFF-SITE)

Located south of Santa Fe along NM Highway 14, the school is set well back from the highway. There are large landscaped public parking areas, a separate staff parking lot, a well-planned vehicular approach, and separate bus and parent pick-up/drop-off lanes. The parent drop-off lane is too wide and requires additional sidewalk access. The site is large and there is room for expansion. The original design for the school included plans for a future gymnasium and classroom wing.

In addition to the entry portico, there is a canopy structure at the bus loading area and in the playground area. A water storage tower is located at the far end of the site.

The landscaping is quite attractive in front of the school. Students have planted a fenced area outside one classroom wing. A “green” windscreen was recently planted to help provide some wind protection to the open expanse of play area. Blowing sand is a problem. A lack of proper drainage has caused wall damage, with storm water accumulating at the bottom of downspouts. The courtyard paving at the library pit area has disintegrated. (SFPS FMP Update 2003)

FLOOR PLANS

The school is undergoing major renovations and addition during the 2010-11 school year. The first floor plan is how the school is using the building this year.

The second floor plan is what is expected when all construction is complete.

The color key is valid for both plans.

BUILDING CAPACITIES

The following school building capacities are shown in the chart below:

Design with portables (also called “building capacity”) is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school. The potential number of students per classroom is set by the minimum requirements for class size established by the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Program with portables (also called ''functional capacity'') is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school after the number of classrooms is reduced by subtracting rooms used for something other than general education times a loading factor of 95%.

Design without portables is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school if the school no longer has portables and if activities currently in portables are housed in permanent classrooms.

Program without portables is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school after the number of classrooms are reduced by subtracting rooms used for something other than general education and if all activities currently in portables are housed in a permanent classroom times a loading factor of 95%.

Enrollment 2010-11 40th Day is the number of students attending the school on the state reporting day of the 2010-11 school year.

Enrollment at Turquoise Trail does not exceed its design capacity; however, design capacity without portables and program capacity with and without portables are exceeded.

HISTORIC TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS FOR ENROLLMENT

Turquoise Trail Charter School enrollment has averaged 2.3% growth since 2001-02. It is projected to grow at a similar rate until 2010-11. The Charter limits this school's enrollment to be capped at 465 students with an additional 30 preschool students. Growth in the area is expected in both incremental rural residential development and a few significant subdivisions.

ATTENDANCE

Turquoise Trail Charter School is located off of San Marcos Loop just east of Highway 14. Even though this school no longer has an official assignment area, the area is maintained as a way to indicate to families living in the area that their students would be transported to Nava Elementary School if they choose to attend a district elementary school rather than a charter school or if the student was not selected through the lottery. The District is still transporting students on 1 of 4 District-owned buses. Sixty-eight percent of the students living in the former assignment area attend Turquoise Trail Charter School, while 65% of the students attending the school live in the former assignment area.

See the following map.

RESIDENTIAL GROWTH PATTERNS

The charter school accepts new students by lottery. Even thought the area has new residential developments in the Turquoise Trail Charter School vicinity, the enrollment at this school is restricted.

CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY

Originally a neighborhood school, this charter school not only attracts current students from the southern portion of the county, but also many choice-enrolled students.

CURRENT AND FUTURE PROGRAMS

Turquoise Trail ES takes a creative, hands-on approach to learning, offering balanced literacy approach to the curriculum to enhance skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It provides an every-day mathematics program, commitment to meet the needs of bilingual and monolingual students, integration of technology into classroom instruction, special education services for eligible students, and an enrichment program.

Programs that support the curriculum include art, music, PE, library, and computer (National Dance Institute, Cooking With Kids, after-school tutoring program, student council, band, chorus, chess club, Spanish club, book club, mariachi, extracurricular sports, science fair, spelling bee, Project MINDS – Meaningful Inquiry, Discoveries, Solutions).

OPPORTUNITIES ANALYSIS

Since charter schools are structured differently than the Santa Fe Public Schools district schools, there are no recommendations. However, any legislative actions should be monitored that may require changes to district charters and the contracts for each charter should be reviewed as soon as possible to determine the long-range success of each charter school and the feasibility of continuation.