APS board holds off on finalizing buget, but spending continues to grow

As the Rio Grande Foundation has noted in recent  years (and the chart below highlights), Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) has continued to see its budget grow while its student population has shrunk.

Recently, the Albuquerque Journal reported that the APS School board had “balked” at adopting a $1.936 billion budget that would be spent to educate approximately 71,000 students. In FY 2022, the District spent $1,658,589,579 to educate just 72,500 students. That came to $22,877.10. If it had been adopted for FY 2023 along the lines of the numbers above, the District would amount to an incredible $27,267 per student.

The budget is not finalized yet. However, the APS board has limited authority over all the money that is flowing their way. That is largely set in Santa Fe. Either way, the Legislative Finance Committee has clearly stated that the District needs to reform how it does business. The question is whether the Legislature and Governor will push the District to reform itself or simply keep sending money.