APS launches communications survey

Albuquerque Public Schools is seeking input from families about how the district could improve its communication with them and whether it should overhaul its branding, including use of an apple logo.

The 10-question online survey is open to families until Feb. 11, the district said on its website.

District officials and members of the Board of Education want to get as much input from families as possible, and the survey’s answers will help the district make more informed decisions, APS spokesperson Phill Casaus said.

“Superintendent (Gabriella) Blakey — and the board — has really made that very plain; they want to be partners with the community,” he said. “One way, and a not too invasive way, is to ask people some questions about what’s working or what doesn’t work.”

The survey’s first question asks families how they would like to receive information about “major events on a site,” such as a shelter-in-place. That directive was given to Jackson Middle School on Wednesday due to a “possible threat,” which police later determined was unfounded, APS spokesperson Martin Salazar said. Families were told about the developments by the district using all of its communication channels, Casaus said.

The survey also asks families how they would prefer to receive communication alerts from the district and how frequently they would like to receive them; where they get most of their information from their child’s school; and what suggestions they have for improving district-level communications.

The district’s apple logo, a red box with an outline of the fruit containing the letters “APS,” represents the district’s overall brand and has been used for about 20 years, Casaus said. A new logo contains the letters “APS” in a hot air balloon with a mortar board on top, flanked by a mountain range.

“A lot of people seemed to like (the balloon logo), so we just wanted to ask the question: what do you think of that logo versus the old logo?” Casaus said. “I don’t think it’s the most important thing in that survey and it’s certainly not our core mission.”

This is not the first time APS has surveyed families. A survey went out in October asking students’ families and the general public for input on next year’s budget and the instructional calendar for the next two school years. The survey found overwhelming support for an early August start for both school years, which was approved by the APS Board of Education in December.

The latest APS survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/8HWWM5G.