Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Parents in Chetumal are speaking out against what they call excessive municipal and state taxes and fees that are forcing private schools to close or eliminate preschool and high school programs.
During the 30th anniversary celebration of the Centro de Enseñanza Moderna (CEM), parent Paty Castro expressed frustration that the school will now only offer middle school education because it can no longer afford the costs.
“We’re going down the wrong path,” Castro said. “Another school is closing — a great school with 30 years of service and hard work — and many teachers and great people are losing their jobs. That’s regrettable. This is the legacy this government leaves us, and this is how they will be remembered.”
She lamented that authorities are “squeezing” private schools with endless fees and a lack of support, forcing the school to shut down most of its operations. CEM had educated generations of students with love, values, and empathy, she added.
Last year, Sibila Esquivel Ávila, president of the Association of Private Schools in the South (ADEPAS), warned that several schools were considering closing their preschool levels due to declining enrollment caused by the economic downturn and excessive charges from the Water and Sewerage Commission (CAPA), Civil Protection, and the Institute for the Promotion of Educational Infrastructure (Ifeqroo).
Esquivel Ávila noted that while the pandemic hurt enrollment, the current crisis stems from a lack of investment, a weak economy, and high fees for civil protection inspections and state reviews. She said authorities now charge per educational level rather than per building, hitting schools hard.
Representatives from the private school association met with Education Secretary Elda Xix, who agreed to propose that the Education Department (SEQ) handle civil protection validation instead of the state agency. For Ifeqroo, she said there is a commitment to adjust fee schedules based on student numbers — currently, a flat rate applies for 1 to 99 students and a higher rate for 100 or more.
“If the SEQ takes over civil protection validation, we could save about 10,000 pesos. For Ifeqroo, we’re talking another 20,000 to 30,000 pesos,” Esquivel Ávila said.
Despite these talks, she insisted that some schools still risk closing their preschool programs due to low enrollment. “We’ve seen some recovery in elementary and middle school, but not as much as we’d like. The lack of jobs and cuts to government worker benefits have had an impact,” she reiterated.
Additionally, CAPA charges between 40,000 and 80,000 pesos for water connection fees — even for schools that already paid when they first opened.
