State head of special education departs for role in Maryland
As New Mexico still struggles to educate students with disabilities up to the same standards as their peers, the state's inaugural head of special education has left after less than two years on the job.
Margaret Cage, who was selected in October 2023 as the inaugural director and deputy secretary of the Public Education Department's much-touted Office of Special Education, has departed for a new role in Maryland.
Her last day of work at the department was Tuesday.
Deputy Director of the Office of Special Education Tyre' Jenkins will serve as interim deputy secretary as a national search is underway to find Cage's replacement, Public Education Department spokesperson Janelle Taylor García wrote in an email to The New Mexican.
'Dr. Jenkins has been with PED since January of 2024 and has been a close partner with Dr. Cage throughout her tenure in creating and managing the Office of Special Education,' Taylor García wrote.
Cage's departure from the new office comes as the state's more than 50,000 public school students with disabilities continues to face a persistent gap in achievement relative to their nondisabled peers. The Public Education Department's standardized testing data from the 2023-24 school year shows just 13% of students with disabilities were proficient in reading and 7.5% in math, compared to statewide averages for all students of 39% and 23%, respectively.
In 2018, a judge in the landmark Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit decision against the state determined the state had failed to provide sufficient education to several groups of students, including those in special education.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham created the Office of Special Education by executive order in May 2023, arguing the office — located within the Public Education Department — would serve as a primary point of contact for students and their families to get the special education services they need while improving recruitment, retention and training for teachers specializing in special education.
By the time it was established, the office had been on lawmakers' and advocates' minds for years. During this year's legislative session, Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, proposed Senate Bill 38 to officially codify the Office of Special Education in state statute, but the bill stalled after passing the Senate.
When she was selected as the Office of Special Education's first top official, Cage brought 25 years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, school leader and school system administrator to the role, plus a doctorate and master's degree in educational leadership. Prior to her departure, Cage earned an annual salary of $160,000, according to the New Mexico Sunshine Portal.
She arrived in New Mexico from Assumption Parish Schools in Louisiana — a district of just under 3,000 students west of New Orleans — where she supervised special education services.
Cage declined The New Mexican's interview requests upon her arrival in the role.
Minutes from the Feb. 2 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education in Rockville, Md., indicate board voted unanimously to appoint Cage as the district's new chief student support officer.
Cage continued her job duties until her last day Tuesday, Taylor García said, including providing insight during the legislative session.
'The Office of Special Education continues to be staffed with a number of highly qualified individuals dedicated to advancing the mission of the OSE,' Taylor García wrote in an email.
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