Author
By Rodd Cayton
It’s hot, and that’s not ideal for learning, Albuquerque Public Schools officials acknowledged Monday. Therefore, the district has been working on a variety of initiatives to keep kids cool.
“We are overstaffed for the beginning of the year in terms of having all hands on deck to address any work orders,” Antonio Gonzalez, the district’s deputy superintendent for operations, told reporters.
Gonzalez said APS has already started on 20 cooling system improvement projects approved by voters last year. He said the district has conversion projects underway at eight schools, which will move those systems from evaporative cooling to refrigerated air.
The other 12 projects approved in the $40 million bond package, Gonzalez said, are in the design phase, as they contain other elements such as electrical work or re-roofing a building.
Gonzalez said the proactive strategy has included leaving some cooling systems on over the summer, so staff can identify any “breakage” and perform repairs immediately, instead of turning them on at the beginning of the school year and discovering problems. He said district leadership has been meeting daily to go over work orders, and the number that have not been addressed is now minimal.
In response to a question about a clear backpack policy maintained by some campuses last year — some of the bags were reportedly falling apart — Gonzalez said that’s a site-level decision, and the eight schools keeping that policy this year have learned some lessons and are looking at different vendors and considering students’ daily routines at the school, and communicating with parents about the process. He said APS will support the schools that want to clear backpack policy.
Other security measures, he said, include an increased partnership with the Albuquerque Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center and weapon detectors at district football and soccer stadiums.
Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey said parental involvement is a must.
“As kids get older, sometimes parents start to kind of try to give kids space, and it’s really important that you stay involved in your kids’ education,” she said. “Ask who their friends are, who they’re hanging out with. Go in their room, check their backpacks, talk to your kids, ask them about their day in ways where you really get to the root of what their day was like.”
APS officials also touted drops in the district’s chronic absenteeism rate and the number of firearms found on or near campuses. Spokesperson Martin Salazar said 12 weapons were found last school year, including two discovered near an APS campus and another at a charter school. That’s down from 16 the previous year and 15 in 2023-2024.
In her opening remarks, Blakey discussed students’ progress toward goals identified by the Board of Education.
“Reading remains a bright spot for us, with our first- and second-grade students exceeding their targets,” she said. “We are equally proud that our younger students met all targets related to skills such as perseverance, self-control, confidence, and empathy-foundational skills that will prepare them for the future. We are also seeing more students graduate prepared for college and careers, thanks to increased participation in advanced placement courses and career-connected learning classes.”
She said there still needs to be improvement in some areas, particularly middle school math, and strengthening middle- and high-school students’ sense of belonging.