OPINION: Accountability requires goals and guardrails

Thank you to the Albuquerque Journal for your recent focus on education. While I may not always agree with your editorial perspective, I applaud your willingness to share diverse opinions and concerns related to academic achievement, school funding and education reform. One clear theme that emerged from the series is the range of proposed solutions — many of which call for increased accountability.

In the May 4 editorial, you posed important questions and invited educational leaders to respond. Though I may no longer hold an official leadership role, as a former school board member and engaged community member, I feel compelled to share my thoughts on accountability.

You asked: “As an APS leader, who are you accountable to, and how does that affect your decision-making?” Accountability is a timely and important topic, especially given the significant investment in public education. I share the concern for academic achievement and recognize the persistent performance gap affecting our most vulnerable students. Their outcomes demand urgent attention, and I believe the Yazzie-Martinez decision underscores that very point. New Mexico has long struggled in education rankings and addressing this requires a comprehensive and sustained approach.

Real accountability requires clearly defined goals and measurable guardrails. These serve not only as performance markers but also protect essential community values. Without shared expectations and regular progress monitoring, true accountability is elusive. That’s why I’m proud of the APS Board of Education’s adoption of a student outcomes-focused governance model. Their goals and guardrails, and their commitment to scheduled progress reviews, reflect real accountability in action.

I also want to be honest about the human side of accountability. Adults make mistakes. We don’t always lead with integrity, transparency or flexibility. Board members, district leaders, staff and even community members (myself included) struggle with change and collaboration. And that’s okay — as long as we stay engaged, listen to feedback and remain open to adapting.

APS leadership is accountable to a broad and diverse community with a wide range of views. During my time on the board, I heard thousands of ideas and critiques. Like others, I demanded accountability from the system — and in turn, was held accountable by the public I served.

It’s easy to become disillusioned, impatient or cynical. But we all must also hold ourselves accountable for change. As community members we need to remain engaged even if we do not have children in the system. We need to be willing to listen and learn before passing judgement. We need to understand and support investments, volunteer if we are able, advocate at all levels of government, and vote for leaders who truly support public education. In essence, we all need to show up for education. We must understand the impact of investments and the fallout when it is either redirected or ended prematurely. We must prioritize authentic community engagement that fosters dialogue, especially with the most vulnerable students and their families. Finally, we must work to welcome collaborative decision-making that includes many voices and perspectives.

Accountability is everyone’s responsibility. We can all show up for public education by attending school events, asking children about school and their experiences, participating in community meetings and public forums, and becoming truly curious about what is working and why. Accountability doesn’t stop with the district or the school boardroom. It starts and ends with all of us as a community. Kudos to APS leadership for establishing a framework that has established important actions to strengthen community voices, family engagement, and, more importantly, accountability. Change is happening, student outcomes are improving but we must not lose sight of the fact that more work is ahead.