APS introduces superintendent finalists to community

Albuquerque Public Schools held a marathon of Meet the Superintendent Finalists forums on Tuesday, including a breakfast, public interviews with pre-submitted questions from the community, and a student panel made up of elementary, middle and high school students.

During their panel, the students grilled the finalists, current APS Chief Operations Officer Gabriella Blakey and former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Ahart, on a range of issues — some of which were more loaded than the rest.

“What do you feel is the right amount of homework for an elementary school student?” said Longfellow Elementary School fifth grader Sophia Frost, to the amusement of the crowd.

Throughout her comments to the community, Blakey’s intimate knowledge of APS and education in New Mexico shone through, yielding detailed responses on how she would address specific issues throughout Albuquerque.

“I’m very committed to the students here and I’m very committed to our community,” she said. “... It’s not easy to put yourself out here and to be vulnerable … but my care for the kids of Albuquerque outweighs my personal ego.”

But Ahart’s decade on the job in Des Moines was also evident. In his answers, he drew on his experience with issues in Iowa that were comparable to APS’ and frequently referenced the specific ways he addressed them back home.

“I’m a damn good educator,” Ahart said. “I think the innovation that I’ve engaged in in almost every role that I’ve had as a public educator helps to demonstrate that I do look at public education from a little bit of a different angle than a lot of traditional school administrators.”

Coming out of their panel, at least half of the students picked Blakey as the person they’d want to see as their superintendent.

“She’s from here. She knows our issues, she knows our struggles, she knows what we’ve been through,” West Mesa High School senior Alexa Ordonez said. “And with her answers, it seems like she knows what she’s doing.”

Still, Ordonez noted that both finalists gave good answers.

Bel-Air Elementary School kindergarten teacher Celeste Hernández was of a different mind, saying that while the district would be “OK with either one,” Ahart gave succinct, to-the-point answers and may represent just what APS needs.

“He brings a fresh perspective, and he’s really knowledgeable and really accomplished,” she said.

During individual interviews using questions distilled from some 1,200 public responses, the finalists were asked about a range of issues, including how they would make schools safer, especially from gun violence; ensure grade-level instruction; and close opportunity gaps among historically disadvantaged students.

In order, Ahart responded that schools might pursue anonymous reporting methods; that while he would first need to learn what’s in place in APS, teachers across the district should be communicating to provide consistent instruction; and that the district must go to the families of disadvantaged students to better understand what they need.

Respectively, Blakey said she would focus on addressing the root problems behind students bringing guns to school, including their mental health needs; having principals examine the learning students are doing in classrooms to diagnose if they are at grade level; and that the board’s goals are a good start to bridging opportunity gaps.

School board President Danielle Gonzales said Tuesday’s public forums would help inform the panel’s decision, planned for Wednesday.

“I think the decision of who is our next superintendent for APS is the most consequential decision that we’re gonna make as a board,” she said. “This is going to be the person who has to implement our strategic plan.

Photos: APS superintendent candidates talk with students during panel