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By Rodd Cayton, The Paper. — As enrollment at Albuquerque Public Schools continues to decline, tough decisions need to be made, and the district is asking for community input to guide the process. APS has scheduled a series of community meetings over the next few months to hear from the public.
According to an APS press release, several schools are operating well below their intended capacities.
As part of planning for the future, APS is asking families, students, district employees, and community members to share what priorities should guide decisions regarding schools, academic programs, and district resources,” the release states. “No final decisions have been made, and initial steps are focused on community listening and collaboration.”
The first meeting takes place at 6 p.m. Monday in the cafeteria at Cibola High School, 1510 Ellison Drive NW. Dates and locations for other sessions:
Oct. 22: Del Norte High School, 5323 Montgomery Blvd. NE; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria
Oct. 27: Eldorado High School, 11300 Montgomery Blvd. NE; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Oct. 29: Highland High School, 4700 Coal Ave SE; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Nov. 2: Berna Facio Professional Development Complex, 3315 Louisiana Blvd. NE. A 6 p.m. meeting for Arabic, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Swahili and Vietnamese speakers and a 6:30 p.m. meeting for Spanish speakers.
Nov. 10: Manzano High School, 12200 Lomas Blvd NE; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Nov. 12: Rio Grande High School, 2300 Arenal Road SW; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Nov. 19: Valley High School, 1505 Candelaria Road NW; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Jan. 5: Albuquerque High School, 800 Odelia Road NE; 6 p.m. in the theater.
Jan. 7: Atrisco Heritage Academy High School, 10800 Dennis Chavez Blvd SW; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Jan. 11: Sandia High School, 7800 Candelaria Road NE; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Jan. 12: Volcano Vista High School, 8100 Rainbow Blvd NW; 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.
Jan. 14: West Mesa High School, 6701 Fortuna Road NW; 6 p.m. in the library.
Jan. 21: La Cueva High School, 7801 Wilshire Ave. NE; 6 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
According to the release, the goal of the meetings is to “gather public input on how schools can best serve students today and for years to come.”
District Spokesperson Martin Salazar told The Paper. administrators will review the community input in February and March, to identify themes, priorities and ideas. “After that, we will report back to the APS Board of Education, sharing what we heard and discussing possible next steps,” he said.
More information is available here. The district has also released a video explaining the causes of its need for “right-sizing — mainly a 28% drop in enrollment over the past two decades, a loss of nearly 25,000 students
APS attributes the drop largely to lower birth rates and families leaving the state.
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