A vacant school that the owner was actively trying to lease or sell for educational purposes was being “used” for educational purposes and thereby eligible for real estate tax exemption, the Supreme Court of New Mexico has ruled. The property was originally owned and occupied by the New Mexico Academy for Science and Mathematics. It was sold to a supporter in 2004, who rented it to the school, free for several months, until the school failed economically in 2008. From June 2008 to February, 2010 it was vacant while the owner sought a new educational tenant. The owner turned down a commercial tenant who wanted to use the 26-acre campus for a film company, and finally leased it to an...