APS board gets tough with admins on right-sizing plan; Blakey admits 'missteps'

With a few dissenting votes, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education voted Wednesday to approve a controversial plan that includes closing Taft Middle School next year due to declining enrollment.

But the series of votes, which also included establishing an "international school," did not come without tough talk from all sides who attended the meeting, including members of the public who rallied against the plan and board members who criticized school officials for the way it was handled. APS Superintendent Gabriella Blakey admitted to "missteps" and said her team has to rebuild trust with the community.

Her comments came before the board voted on the district's "right-sizing" plan, crafted by a district committee in response to declining enrollment over the past 10 years. Right-sizing, implemented since 2017, has included consolidating schools, but never before one of APS's middle schools, Blakey said.

Under the plan, the attendance boundaries will change to allow Taft to close next year and move its students to Taylor Middle School. Coronado Elementary Dual Language Magnet School will move from its campus Downtown to the former Taft campus on Schulte Road NW. Coronado will expand over the next few school years to offer grades 6, 7 and 8. Fifth-grade Taft students who have been in a dual-language program may attend Coronado at the old Taft site.

For all initiatives, the vote among the seven-member board was 4-3, with board members Ronalda Tome-Warito, Heather Benavidez and Josefina E. Domínguez voting against the plan.

"My 'no' vote is against pitting, insidiously pitting, one tiny group against another," Domínguez said when she gave her vote during the meeting.

A majority of community members who participated in public forum were against the plan, saying more time was needed to involve the community and for the board to consider other options. One man with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce spoke in favor of right-sizing. The chorus of speakers sounded similar to those on Dec. 4, when the board was originally supposed to vote on the plan before tabling it.

On Wednesday, several people, including those from diverse backgrounds, spoke in favor of the International School, which district officials said is needed due to the significant increase in migrants coming to the city. The agenda item was one of the few things community members agreed on.

But when the meeting turned to a discussion period between the board, Blakey and members of her administration, the conversation became intense.

Board member Ronalda Tome-Warito asked administrators how they expect to "build back trust" with the community, "because we're not creating collaboration; we're creating chaos."

When Domínguez learned that community members were not part of the district committee that crafted the plan, she said, "that's a problem, because you get this uproar (of public comments)."

Blakey responded that she and her team have sensed a lack of trust the public has with the district and officials have to continue to show trust. She said the best indicator of building public trust is through administrators' follow-up actions. Blakey then said the district "didn't get it 100% right" but at the same time, building a consensus with people of diverse backgrounds to support an international high school is an example of how APS did rights.

Blakey said if the board did not vote to approve the plan on Wednesday all proposals would have to wait to be reconsidered this time next year.

Domínguez added that when Blakey "takes responsibility for missteps," then "it's also incumbent on the board to take responsibility for our missteps."

"We lost sight of our responsibility," she said.

Benavidez said she was not informed of the plan until late October. She was surprised when it showed up on the Dec. 4 meeting agenda.

"I feel very uninformed as a board member and I will take responsibility for that," she said. "I need to ask more questions."

Tome-Warito echoed Benavidez's comments about being uninformed: "I feel bad to represent APS and not even know what is going on."

Board member Crystal Tapia-Romero rushed to Blakey's and the administration's defense, saying they communicated about the plan the way they should have.

"Just because you didn't read (the plan) doesn't mean it wasn't there," she said to the board.

Board President Danielle Gonzales told community members, "there is nothing about this process that feels good."

A comment member responded, "then don't do it!"

But Gonzales, who became emotional, argued that the board follows a set of "goals and guardrails" and must work to "ensure a future our children deserve." With a facilities budget deficit and not being able to make Taft "the best magnet school in the world," Gonzales said she would vote for the plan since, in her view, it provides more opportunities for students.

Gonzales, who grew up in the North Valley, was also quick to note the her decision on how to vote did not come without numerous personal meetings with stakeholders, from large meetings to conversations in school drop-off lines. Gonzales' added that her social media and phone were "blowing up" with comments from people who went to Taft.

Taft Middle School parent J.D. Mathews said following the meeting he thought Gonzales was "giving us crocodile tears" when "this was her plan all along."

"I don't think she ever intended to represent our community," Mathews said.

While he appreciated some board members dissenting on the plan, others "sold us out."

Now, Mathews has to go tell his daughter, who wrote a letter to the school board arguing them to vote against the plan, that her school will close next year.

"We try to be pretty honest with her and she's really an amazing young kid who can put together information," Mathews said.

Following the meeting, Blakey released a prepared statement defending the right-sizing plan.

"We've always believed this plan is good for the vast majority of students in the Taft attendance zone, at Coronado and students who will attend the international high school," Blakey said. "But I always recognized we have work to do as we go forward in right-sizing, and we will work hard to improve that process in the future."