APS to host virtual school choice fair; board members to host town halls

Albuquerque Public Schools will host a school choice fair virtually on Thursday. This will be sandwiched between two town halls with members of the Board of Education.

The events come during National School Choice Week, which ends Friday.

The school choice fair is scheduled for 5-6 p.m. Thursday.

“I think it’s important for parents to realize they have several options within APS to find the right school for their child to excel,” Francesca VerPloegh, executive director for the office of innovation at APS, said Monday. “(The event) brings down the barriers so you can do it in the comfort of your own home.”

Even before they log onto the event via https://www.aps.edu/innovation/choicefair, families can learn more about district’s 24 magnet school programs. Once live, families will get to talk to principals and staff from up to three schools during the hour time-slot, VerPloegh said.

“I wanted parents to have another venue to learn more about our schools if they couldn’t attend in person,” she said. “Since we’re the Office of Innovation, I want to continue to make sure that we have innovative practices to bring in our community.”

The virtual event follows an in-person school choice fair held in October. The district’s plan is to host both types of events throughout the school year, VerPloegh said.

Town halls

Board Vice President Courtney Jackson will meet with District 7 constituents at 6 p.m. Tuesday at La Cueva High School, according to an APS news release.

Josefina Domínguez will meet with District 6 constituents on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Oñate Elementary School, the release states.

Last week, Board President Danielle Gonzales met with APS students at Del Norte High School.

While board members have held town halls with APS administrators on issues like the budget or school year calendar, they have never held individual town halls for the districts they were elected to represent, Jackson said Monday.

“We wanted to make sure we are engaging with our community on a more intimate level,” she said.

Jackson’s town hall, with assistance from fellow board member Heather Benavidez, will include a presentation, discussion questions and an open forum period for constituents to ask questions. The feedback they give will be submitted to Superintendent Gabriella Blakey and the other board members.

The details on the town halls for Ronalda Tome-Warito, Heather Benavidez, Janelle Astorga, Crystal Tapia-Romero are still being finalized, APS spokesperson Martin Salazar said.

Editor's note: This article has been amended to provide the correct spelling of APS Board President Danielle Gonzales' name.