Albuquerque Public Schools students and their families will be asked for more feedback under its Board of Education goals discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.
An ad-hoc committee charged with addressing the district’s community engagement efforts will bring formal adoption of the goals to a future meeting.
School board member Courtney Jackson, who chairs the committee, suggested amending its recommendations and reducing the number of goals from four to three. Jackson said a pair of suggested goals — increasing Native American attendance at engagement and outreach events and creating events designed for students identified in the Yazzie-Martinez decision — seemed redundant. Many of the students in the 2018 decision are Native American, she said.
The other goals are increasing student presence at community engagement events and having each board member attend four outreach events each year.
The committee defines an engagement event as a venue hosted by the board, consisting of two-way communication focused on the community’s vision and values. An outreach event is a similar conversation, but hosted by community members.
Talking about it
During the discussion, board members chose goals of 1,000 students at engagement events and engagement of 2,000 families.
The target date for reaching each of those benchmarks is August 2026. Jackson said the numbers can be adjusted upward if those goals are reached early.
Board member Janelle Astorga, who also serves on the engagement committee, said she’s excited about giving community members more opportunities to be heard.
Board member Heather Benavidez said engagement and outreach events will allow the board to communicate with the community outside board meetings, which she described as businesslike.
Board member Josefina Dominguez said it’s important that members build relationships with the community and understand that will take time.
Elder tribute
In her report at the end of the meeting, Board President Danielle Gonzales acknowledged outgoing Superintendent Scott Elder, who is retiring June 30 after 33 years as an APS teacher, principal and administrator.
How to participate
The Board of Education’s next two planned meetings have been canceled due to the Juneteenth and Fourth of July holidays. A special meeting is set for the morning of June 26, immediately after an 8 a.m. finance committee meeting. The next regular meeting is July 17.
“His leadership was particularly notable during some unprecedented challenges,” she said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, he implemented necessary protocols to ensure the safety and continuity of education for our students and staff.”
She also praised Elder’s crisis management skills during a January 2022 cyberattack on the district and his integrity upon discovering alleged embezzlement by Sheryl Williams Stapleton, a now-former APS employee facing state and federal charges related to allegations that she used more than $1 million in vocational education money to benefit her friend’s company.
Soccer and a survey
Gonzales said the board will be seeking community feedback at the Sept. 8 New Mexico United match. The team is celebrating School’s Out Night, to celebrate APS. Board members will meet the public, and the night includes the giveaway of more than 2,000 books and a survey regarding the district’s performance in reading instruction. The survey will also be made available online.