South Valley charter school's founder steps down as director after over two decades

For the first time since its founding in 2001, the Robert F. Kennedy Charter School, located in the South Valley, will not be headed by Robert Baade.

Holly Gurule, who has more than two decades of experience in education, has succeeded Baade as the school’s executive director. The district announced the move last week.

“I had done administration in the past, but I didn’t want to be a principal again; I wanted a chance to learn, grow and expand my skill set,” Gurule said in a Friday interview. “I think this was a really unique opportunity to level up.”

Among the things she is prioritizing as she takes over is “fleshing out” career pathways for the school’s students and offering them social support services.

Before coming to the South Valley charter school, Gurule worked as an assistant principal at West Mesa High School and Albuquerque High School, as a principal at John Adams Middle School, and Laguna elementary and middle schools.

“Her background fits the mission of RFK really well,” Baade said.

RFK, which serves 6th through 12th graders, had an enrollment of around 342 students posting academic proficiency ratings of 3% in math, 15% in reading and 18% in science, according to the latest New Mexico Vistas report, which analyzed data from the 2023-24 school year.

The report also found that 70% of RFK students were deemed college or career-ready, outpacing Albuquerque Public Schools — the district it is in — where 41% of students were found to be ready for life after graduation.

According to Baade, the school has done a good job serving “certain populations that they (APS) have struggled serving,” and he believes the district sees them as a “valuable partner.”

According to an APS map, RFK is one of six charter schools in the city’s southwest corridor.

While RFK is considered an APS school, the district does not oversee its day-to-day operations — nor does it with any of its charter schools.

However, the district’s board of education does have the authority to renew school charters every five years based on factors such as fiscal management and academic performance. RFK’s charter, along with those of 10 other schools, is up for renewal from APS this fall.

Neither Baade nor Gurule expressed concern that the charter would not be renewed, with Baade adding that it has been renewed five times with a “single no vote” by an APS board member.

While Baade will no longer head the school he founded, he is transitioning to oversee operations full-time at Southwest Educational Partners for Training, a nonprofit focused on adult education.

He described the nonprofit as a close partner with RFK and added that he will be around to help as Gurule steps into the role he held nearly 25 years ago.

“It could be really hard to take over any school without knowing all the background,” Gurule said. “The fact that Robert’s willing to aid in this transition speaks to his dedication to RFK.”