Dr. Gabriella Durán Blakey has found what she intends to be her last job.
“There’s a lot of work ahead, and there’s nothing I have as a goal other than the work that I am committed to doing here in Albuquerque,” Blakey said. “So it’s the last stop.”
A product of Albuquerque Public Schools, she takes over July 1 as superintendent of New Mexico’s largest school district, fulfilling a career goal and stepping into a situation she says has numerous parties working toward the same objective.
That goal is to improve outcomes for every student in the district, academically and otherwise.
“I want to make sure that they have the tools, both physically and mentally, to be able to succeed in their next chapter of life,” Blakey said.
She said that’s the objective for students who want to go right into the workforce as well as those who want to attend college and eventually law school.
Blakey said she’d like to establish an “Albuquerque promise” that guarantees students will learn five essential things in each grade, with graduates emerging having mastered academics along with perseverance, acceptance of other people, working collaboratively and other skills they’ll need in adulthood.
She also wants to see the district as a catalyst for improving Albuquerque’s self-image.
“Kids hear what we say,” Blakey said. “If we’re bad-mouthing the schools or their teacher or the community … they hear that and that becomes like a self-fulfilling prophecy. I really want to work as a community to lift up the positivity in our schools and in our city so that people are proud and that our kids hear what we say about them, and that they change their narrative to feel positive about their families, their teachers, their schools and their city.”
Blakey said APS is at an opportune point, with the Board of Education dedicated to improving student outcomes and administrators following the course. She said the district’s Emerging Stronger strategic plan is exciting in that it focuses everything APS does on improving outcomes.
Career moves guided by desire for change
Blakey, who graduated from Highland High School and later taught there, said she always knew she wanted a career in which she could make a difference in her community and help make changes in society. Education wasn’t her first thought, though.
“I changed my major seven times in college,” she said. “So I wasn’t somebody who grew up playing school when they were little and knowing that they always wanted to be a teacher.”
She said that her desire to bring about systemic change led her to go into school administration. She later started Health Leadership High School, then returned to APS, where she served as an assistant principal, middle school principal, associate superintendent for learning and chief operations officer.
Blakey said the transition from current Superintendent Scott Elder to her leadership is proceeding smoothly
Blakey plans to host an event on July 24 — about three weeks after she officially takes the helm — to share her vision for the community.
“I know the lay of the land pretty well,” she said. “So I think I’m moving faster … than if I were coming from outside and trying to get to know the people.”
She said she has hosted numerous meetings across the community and has seen a substantial level of support.
“I’m really excited to see how much people are invested in our children,” Blakey said. “They really want to help us make a difference for our kids and I’ve been really inspired by that — knowing that we’re not really in this alone. People really do want to partner with us and help us in how we can best educate our kids.”
Every child can learn
Blakey said Albuquerque’s strengths include its diversity, a committed workforce and its status as a big city (with big-city issues) with some characteristics of a small town.
She said it’s important to her that all APS students get an equal education, regardless of where in the district they live. One way to ensure that, Blakey said, is to have and demonstrate belief in the students and see diversity as an asset.
“I want to make sure that everyone that works for Albuquerque public schools believes that 100% of our students are capable of learning and that it’s our job to make sure that that happens,” Blakey said. “It’s everybody; no matter what job you have in the school system, you should have the connection to make sure that your belief in students is driving your work.
She said APS’ community schools are a key component to that strategy. According to the district’s website, community schools “focus on the integration of academics, health and social services, and youth, family and community engagement, and development, as a strategy to improve student learning and facilitate stronger families and healthier communities.”
Enrollment and funding
One problem Blakey mentioned was declining enrollment, which affects the amount of money APS gets from the state. Blakey said falling student numbers aren’t unique to APS, with charter and private schools also having lower headcounts. She said falling birth rates and fewer families with children moving to Albuquerque are part of the issue.
Blakey said the district can help, by increasing student engagement and building trust in the school system. She said that by investing in students already in the community, the district can play a role in bringing more families to the city.
She said that under the new strategic plan, the district is building its budget with a focus on key goals: early literacy, math proficiency, post-secondary readiness and skills, habits, and mindset for life success.
“When you have to cut budgets, people will look first at the last thing in,” she said. “(Something) I was really pushing on our team is we actually have to look opposite.”
She said the new process rates programs based on their efficacy, meaning newer programs that work would take precedence.
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