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Albuquerque Public Schools opens new elementary school on Kirtland Airforce Base
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Until two weeks ago, fourth-grade teacher Pamela Prior had worked in dated classrooms for the past eight years.
“It’s a very rare thing when a teacher gets to be the first person in their classroom,” she said Thursday night. “So you just really need to savor the moment and love it.”
Albuquerque Public Schools leadership was on her campus that evening, celebrating the completion of rebuilding Sandia Base Elementary, located on Kirtland Air Force Base — one of the largest military complexes in the state, spanning more than 50,000 acres. Hundreds of students and parents attended the event.
“I grew up military, so teaching on a military installation means a lot,” Prior said.
District Superintendent Gabriella Blakey, an alumna of the school, spoke about her excitement to see her old stomping grounds rebuilt, but also said she was sad to see her old classrooms go.
“It’s really exciting when there’s a rebuild in the school and demolition, because the students get to see all of that,” she said. “It’s really cool to see a building come up and also see a building come down.”
The rebuild cost more than $50 million, with 80% of the funding coming from the Department of Defense. According to a district database, the school had 280 students last year.
For Erica Montoya, a resident on base and parent of fourth grader Mari Montoya, the investment from APS and the federal government means a lot.
“I’ve been on this base for 24 years, so it’s pretty cool to see the community give back, especially with all of our military families here and them having the convenience of being able to drop a kid off and be able to go to work on time,” she said. “Just cool to see the upgrades.”
Her daughter also happens to be in Prior’s class.
