Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico
 B
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Contents |
[edit] Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of New Mexico school district websites
[edit] The good
- Budget is published.[1]
- School board members are listed with contact information.[2]
- Meeting schedule, minutes, and agendas are posted.[3]
- Administrative officials are listed with contact information under respective department.[4]
- Annual financial audits are posted.[5]
- Labor contracts are posted.[6]
- Procurement site provides information on district vendor contracts.[7]
- Provides a link to district report cards.[8]
- Provides information on the custodian of public records, and contact information for making records request is provided.[9][10]
- Provides information about background check and fingerprinting requirements, policies regarding conducting criminal background checks of staff employed by the school district, how often criminal background checks are conducted, and what procedures the district follows when it learns of past or current criminal conduct on the part of school district staff. [11]
[edit] The bad
- Tax information is incomplete.
[edit] Leadership
[edit] School Board
The Board of Education is comprised of seven members each representing one district in the city. Members are elected to four year terms and elections are staggered.The next school board election is February 2013.[12]
Responsibilities include[13]:
- Hiring Superintendent
- Budgeting
- With the Superintendent, chart a path for the district
| First | Last | Position | Term Ends | District |
| Paula | Maes | Board President | 2013 | 5 |
| Analee | Maestas | Board Vice President | 2015 | 1 |
| Kathy | Korte | Board Secretary | 2015 | 2 |
| Lorenzo | Garcia | Board Member | 2013 | 3 |
| Martin | Esquivel | Board Member | 2015 | 4 |
| David | Robbins | Board Member | 2013 | 6 |
| David | Peercy | Board Member | 2013 | 7 |
After incurring $140,000 in debt from unpaid lunches, the APS implemented a policy in 2009 where students with unpaid lunches would be served a cold cheese sandwich and some fruit. Last reports claim that APS has collected $91,000 of that debt. They hope the policy will help pay off the rest of the debt and encourage parents to sign up for the free or reduced lunch program..[14]
In 2007, the board voted 4-3 to allow Albuquerque Public Schools police officers to wear their handguns in school. Previously the guns had to be locked in the trunk of their car.[15]
[edit] Teacher Contracts
As of August 15th, APS has reached a tentative agreement with the five unions on contracts that will need to be approved by the Board of Education.The five unions include: teachers, police, educational assistants, maintenance and operations workers, and secretarial/clerical workers. The agreement includes no pay raises for any of the unions in 2012.[16]
The Albuquerque Teachers Federation approved the tentative agreement by a vote of 74%-26%.[17]
Teachers will also be contributing an extra $60 a month to their pension plan in 2012. The average APS teacher earns $43,000 a year.[18]
The PDF of the 2012 agreement is not yet posted, but the 2011 agreement can be found here.
Salary schedules for teachers can be found on the ATF Union website here.
[edit] Administrative Officials
The Superintendent of APS is Winston Brooks.[19] In 2008, Brooks was given a 3 year contract by a 5-2 vote of the APS School board. He was given a salary of $250,000 a year, or $273,000 with benefits included.[20]
In 2011, the APS Board of Education voted unanimously to add another year onto Winston's contract making it run until 2014. His salary was upped to $256,000 a year.[21]
Brooks has been criticized by Governor Susana Martinez for spending almost half a million dollars a year on its communication and web department. despite a $31 million budget shortfall in the 2012 budget. APS’ Communications and Web Department is headed by Monica Armenta and Rigo Chavez who earn $107,000 and $70,000 a year.[22]
In 2010, Brooks received a William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award in Education from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.[23]
The following table consists of APS's "Leadership Team".[24] You can see the Leadership Team Organizational Chart here.
| First | Last | Position |
| Winston | Brooks | Superintendent |
| Linda | Sink | Chief Academic Officer |
| Brad | Winter | Chief Operations Officer |
| Dian | Kerschen | Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education |
| Raquel | Reedy | Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education |
| Eddie | Soto | Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education |
| Tom | Ryan | Chief Information Officer |
| Andrea | Trybus | Executive Director of Human Resources |
| Don | Moya | Chief Financial Officer |
| Monica | Armenta | Executive Director of Commucations |
| Diego | Gallegos | Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services |
| Rose-Ann | McKernan | Executive Director of Instruction and Accountability |
| Brenda | Yager | Executive Director of Board Services and Government Affairs |
| Joseph | Escobedo | Government Affairs |
| Steve | Tellez | Interim Chief of School Police |
[edit] Unions
Teachers in Albuquerque are represented by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation whose motto is "professional progressive unionism".[25] A stated goal of ATF is to see the repeal of No Child Left Behind.[26]
For the 2008 tax period, AFT's reported income was $ 2,073,129. The tax form can be found here.
[edit] School Budget
The proposed 2011-2012 budget is $594 which is smaller than the 2010-2011 budget because of a $20 million cut in state funding. The total budget shortfall will be $37 million. The shortfall is outlined in the table below.[27]
| Area | Amount |
| A 3.3% cut in state funding | |
| (SEG or State Equalization Guarantee with | |
| 1.7% as a result of HB-2; 1.6% in unfunded | |
| enrollment growth) | $20.0 Million |
| Increased utility costs | $2.4 Million |
| Deposit to cash reserves | $3.0 Million |
| Increase in costs for teachers who move up the 3-Tier ladder | $3.0 Million |
| Loss of Federal stimulus funds | $5.7 Million |
| Anticipated increase in medical costs of about 4.7% | $1.0 Million |
| Nurses paid from operational funds instead of | |
| federal Medicaid Grant | $2.5 Million |
| Increase in property and liability insurance costs | $0.7 Million |
| End employee furloughs | $2.8 Million |
| Return differential pay to 2010 level (15 %) | $1.8 Million |
| Increase in textbook costs | $1.1 Million |
| Decrease in district contribution for retirement (ERA) | +$7.0 Million |
| Total anticipated shortfall | $37.0 Million |
The table below outlines how the $37 million shortfall is going to be closed.[28]
| Area | Amount |
| Cutting Department budgets by 12.8% and School budgets by 4.9% | $23.0 Million |
| Maintaining current level of cash reserves | $3.0 Million |
| Furlough all employees for 1 day | $2.8 Million |
| Maintain employee medical costs at current level | $1.0 Million |
| Lower than expected cost increase in electrical expenses | $1.0 Million |
| Cover expenses for nurses with federal Medicaid Grant | $2.5 Million |
| Operational efficiencies* | $3.7 Million |
| Total anticipated cost reductions | $37.0 Million |
The 2011-2012 budget cuts 160 administrative (non-teaching) jobs saving $9.9 million.[29]
The APS website has detail on the 2011-2012 budget here and here.
[edit] Academic performance
As of 2011, 87% of schools in APS did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress. Only six schools in the district met AYP. The table below outlines the reading and math proficiency in APS compared to statewide.[30]
| ' | APS | Statewide |
| Reading Proficiency | 52% | 50% |
| Math Proficiency | 45% | 42% |
APS School District Report Cards can be found here.
[edit] Charter School Controversy
In 2010, APS urged state legislators to put a moratorium on new charter schools stressing that there is not enough funds to accommodate more. Charter schools are scheduled by state law to be in public buildings by 2015 instead of rented or bought buildings.[31]
In 2010, APS considered revoking the charter for four schools if they did not disclose their financial records. The schools were: Amy Biehl Charter High, La Luz del Monte Learning Center, Southwest Primary, and Southwest Secondary Learning Centers.[32] The charter schools said their charters only mandate quarterly financial statements and they weren't required to give monthly statements. Scott Glasrud, the head administrator for Southwest Learning Centers said this of the relationship with APS: "This is how and what we deal with quite often with Albuquerque Public Schools. It's not a good relationship by any stretch of the imagination. For charter schools or for the district probably for that matter."[33]
APS has questioned the salary of Scott Glasrud, who supervises three charter schools: Southwest Primary, La Luz Del Monte and Southwest Secondary. Glasrud earns $204,000 while overseeing under 500 students. Glasrud defends his salary and said that he performs duties as principal along with superintendent which actually saves money by not hiring more positions.[34]
[edit] External links
- Albuquerque Public Schools official site
- APS Education Foundation
- Great Schools - district profile
- APS District Report Cards
- APS on Great Schools
- APS on Facebook
- School Digger
- APS Athletics
[edit] References
- ↑ Budget
- ↑ Board members
- ↑ Board meetings
- ↑ Administration
- ↑ Accounting
- ↑ Labor relations
- ↑ APS Procurement
- ↑ District report cards
- ↑ Custodian of public records
- ↑ Public records requests
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Board
- ↑ Board
- ↑ KOAT "Other States Look To Albuquerque's Cheese Sandwich Policy"
- ↑ ABQ Trib "Albuquerque school board votes to let cops carry guns"
- ↑ APS Union Agreement
- ↑ ATF Union "Tentative Agreement Ratified"
- ↑ KOB "APS teachers begin school year without pay raise"
- ↑ Superintendent
- ↑ KAKE "Winston Brooks Accepts Albuquerque Sup't Job"
- ↑ KRQE "APS Superintendent's contract extended"
- ↑ KOAT "APS PR Staff Costs Taxpayers $500K A Year"
- ↑ New Mexico Independent "Rep. Arnold-Jones, others receive transparency awards"
- ↑ Leadership Team
- ↑ ATF Union
- ↑ Issues
- ↑ Budget Summary
- ↑ Budget Summary
- ↑ Budget Summary
- ↑ ABQ Journal "Live, learn as if time is fleeting"
- ↑ KRQE "APS: No new charter schools"
- ↑ KOBTV "4 charter schools face APS scrutiny"
- ↑ KRQE "APS could revoke schools’ charter"
- ↑ .KOAT "APS Questions Charter School Superintendent Salary"
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