OPINION: OPINION: APS superintendent vows to keep fast pace after contract extended

I was humbled and gratified by the APS Board of Education’s recent decision to extend my contract as superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools through June 2028. Still, I want our customers — parents, students and taxpayers — to understand I have no intention of slowing down or breathing a sigh of relief.

For one thing, it’s not about me. The job of superintendent is about improving student outcomes while also supporting our employees. That will be the guidepost throughout my tenure, no matter how long it is.

I also know this: While I believe the board’s decision gives us continuity and allows us to build on the momentum we’ve created in eight months, I know we still have much work to do.

Here’s the big picture: We have made important improvements in elementary school reading; middle school math; college and career readiness; and skills, habits and mindsets. Those gains are critical because they are proof we can improve. I believe they’ll give our students, teachers and administrators confidence as we go forward.

However, I’m also excited by the restructuring we’ve been able to accomplish because over time it will make us better, more nimble and less reliant on old formulas. We are reconfiguring the way we operate at almost every level — taking a hard look at our many structures to see if they actually benefit students or are simply archaic or nonfunctional. That includes the way we allocate state and federal funds. It includes the way we test our students and provide professional development for our teachers and administrators. It even includes the way we communicate.

I liken all this to renovating the house while still living in it. There’s dust, plenty of inconvenience and more than a few headaches as the process continues. It’s never completed as quickly as you’d like. Yet when we’re done, I believe you’ll see a more modern, efficient and successful school district.

This is a big organization, and I won’t kid you — it will be difficult to make massive improvements overnight. However, I reject the notion that we’re “the same ol’ APS.”

Here’s why: When the Board of Education created four goals and a variety of guardrails and paired them with a strategic plan created by APS administration, it gave the district an aspiration and clarity it may have lacked for a very long time. Improving student outcomes is at the very heartbeat of all we will do for the next several years. It’s simply central to our existence, and I make it my job to keep that vision clear.

We will make mistakes along the way. We’ve already made a few. Yet I tell our staff that we should emulate our students: We may stumble, but we will pick ourselves up and try again. We’ll also learn from our missteps and get better.

I visit our schools several times a week, and I try to keep in touch with our community, business and political leaders as often as possible. I’m often asked, “Do you still like the job?”

The truth is, I love it, mostly because it gives me a chance to give back to my hometown. When I hear that we have dozens of National Merit Scholar semifinalists, or when four teachers (out of 336 nationally) receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, or I learn that Ventana Ranch Elementary is a Blue Ribbon School, I am thrilled to be associated with that success.

I also know we must make those triumphs more uniform and universal. That’s our challenge — and it’s why I’m so eager to continue.”

Gabriella Blakey is the superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools.