Albuquerque Public Schools asks for $350 million bond

On this fall’s ballots in addition to votes for mayor, city council, and school board, local voters will be asked to decide on a $350 million bond for Albuquerque Public Schools. These bonds (another name for debt which is typically used to pay for construction and other infrastructure) usually pass, but I hope voters will consider whether the District really needs this year’s massive bond measure.

For starters, the student population at Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) continues to plummet. Student enrollment has dropped by more than 20,000 since 2016, going from approximately 85,336 in FY16 to an estimated 64,995 in FY25. Along with spending growth at the state level this decline in its student population has led to massive spending growth on a per-pupil basis which now sits at $35,384 per-pupil.

Demographers see no sudden increase in the number of young people attending school in New Mexico or APS specifically. That’s in part because birth rates nationwide are down and show no signs of reversing course anytime soon. There has been a particularly pronounced decline in the number of young people in New Mexico from 2020 to 2024. During that time frame New Mexico saw the 2nd-biggest decline among US states in its 0-18 demographic according to the Census Bureau.

And, of course, while APS has made some strides under the current superintendent Gabrielle Blakey in recent years, the District continues to struggle to provide academic results. This has led to an uptick in home schooling and the pursuit of other options for many families.

While we applaud the efforts being made by the Superintendent and School Board to turn APS around, it is high time for the District to get serious about consolidating and closing old and unneeded schools. After all, a 20 percent drop (with a further decline expected) should free up buildings and other infrastructure for repurposing at great savings to taxpayers.

One big-ticket item that will be added if the bond is passed is for a $40 million new special needs education facility on the West Side as well as a new career technical education training facility. Why not repurpose existing assets for these needs instead? Of course, the District is also planning to spend another $40 million worth of bond money to improve HVAC systems and put refrigerated air units in schools.

That’s not a bad idea, but why are we spending millions of dollars to add fancy new air conditioning units on half-empty schools? The same is true for security upgrades and numerous other items contained in this bond.

No doubt, closing schools isn’t always popular with certain parents, but that is why the entire community, not just APS parents, are being asked to vote on this bond. Whether you think APS is heading in the right direction overall or whether you think they have a long way to go and need more fundamental reform, the District will only act if voters (especially taxpayers) push them to do so.

This isn’t about harming students or preventing them from putting air conditioning in schools, it is about common sense stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Voters should be very skeptical of APS’s $350 million bond request.