OPINION: Despite missteps, right-sizing makes educational sense

One of the most difficult things about welcoming public input is hearing the criticism that can sometimes be part of the deal. It’s only natural to recoil when people point out your mistakes.

But if you learn from shortcomings, everyone can benefit.

I’ve tried to learn from missteps during my career — and that’s why I asked our staff to revise a plan that would repurpose Taft Middle School in the North Valley.

Please don’t misunderstand: I absolutely believe right-sizing is in the best interests of children in Albuquerque Public Schools. Just as schools can become too big, they can also be too small. That’s the case at Taft, which has been declining in enrollment for several years due to demographic and other changes in the North Valley.

Let me back up a bit: Last month, we began informing families at Taft that we planned to repurpose the school, a move that would redistrict its students to nearby Taylor Middle School and make way for a popular dual-language magnet school, Coronado, to move to the Taft site. We also are proposing to place an international high school, geared to newcomers from other countries, at the Coronado site in Downtown Albuquerque. As you know, the board approved funding for a principal at that school.

Coronado currently is a K-5. If this plan is approved by the school board at an upcoming meeting, the school would become a K-6 next year and eventually a K-8. It is one of the most innovative and sought-after magnets in the district — something our community now demands.

But in our zeal to implement this plan before the first of the year when transfer windows open, we missed two key steps.

• Though the possibility of repurposing Taft had been well-known in the community and the subject of news stories for at least two years, we failed to inform the school’s feeders about the potential change.
• And in our letters to Taft, Taylor and Coronado families, we also failed to note any move is subject to Board of Education approval. We mistakenly left the impression it was a done deal.

It’s not — at least until the board gives a thumbs up.

Those are the kinds of mistakes that hurt, and members of the community let us know it at the Dec. 4 school board meeting. As they should have.

But I do want to dispel some misconceptions.

First, right-sizing is not something APS whips up on a lark. Repurposing schools is a painstaking, years-long process. The potential for a change at Taft had been reported in the Journal for more than two years.

There are many reasons right-sizing is necessary, including enrollment decline that has plagued the district in recent years. Obviously, that’s a serious problem APS has to address, but we also need to keep our eye on the ball: Priority No. 1 is our students we see every day.

Thanks in part to the feedback we got last week, we’re redoubling our efforts to make good on that commitment. Following the board meeting, I asked our staff to make it possible for Taft’s feeder schools to, in essence, have three choices for middle school in 2025-26.

They are:

• Coronado Dual Language Magnet: If a fifth grade student within the Taft boundary is currently a dual-language student, they could attend Coronado on the old Taft site.
• Taylor Middle School: Providing the board approves, students within Taft’s boundaries can attend Taylor for a more traditional middle school experience. It’s important to note the combination of Taft and Taylor students makes for a more robust school that can offer more electives and educational opportunities than either school could at their current enrollments, which are both under 250.
• A recent survey in the North Valley revealed there’s an overwhelming interest in STEM. Toward that end, students in our feeders would have the option of transferring to nearby Garfield STEM Magnet, which also is in the neighborhood. Multi-million dollar investments, $8 million over five years, at Garfield and Valley High reflect a commitment by the district to excelling in STEM.

We plan to open our ears to community members in the days leading up to Dec. 18, when the board could hear the proposal. But I will stand by the educational benefit of this plan, thanks in part to the community’s interest and suggestions.

We made mistakes, but we’re adapting — and in the process, students will be better for it.