APS board member to take leave of absence for first child

It’s almost time for some baby bonding for soon-to-be mom Janelle Astorga. The Albuquerque Public Schools board member is taking a leave of absence starting next month to care for her first child.

Astorga, 28, who represents District 1 of the seven-member board, will be absent March through May. She will return to meetings virtually in June and July before coming back “in the swing of things” in August at the start of the 2025-26 school year, she said during a Wednesday board meeting.

“I’m a little nervous, but excited for what’s ahead,” Astorga told board members, who offered her their congratulations.

Astorga’s seat on the board will not be temporarily filled while she is on leave. Astorga estimates she will miss up to four meetings.

She told the Journal she’ll return to meetings in some capacity if there is a significant vote, like on the APS budget.

Constituents of District 1, which covers the southwest portion of Albuquerque and 25 schools, can email the district with any questions on APS matters by contacting the board services office at boarded@aps.edu or the service center at servicecenter@aps.edu.

Astorga said the responses the district provides constituents in her absence will not be any different from the ones she could provide herself.

“We all work very closely together, and we all have the same knowledge, so I don’t want my constituents to feel like they are not getting the answer they need,” Astorga said.

Being a mom, she said, will allow her to have a stronger connection with her constituents, who are already parents.

“I’m still really focused on what students are feeling in the classroom — and that will never change,” said Astorga, who still has siblings in the district. “But I feel like I will have more of a sense of what parents are struggling with as well, even though I get those concerns already.”

You can email Kevin Opsahl at kopsahl@abqjournal.com.