APS seeks millions in safety upgrades
70 schools included in application for special legislative funding
Albuquerque Public Schools is seeking special legislative funding to help upgrade security at 70 schools across the 144-school district.
APS’ proposal would spend a total of $13.2million of combined state and district money for the upgrades. Plans include classroom door locks, fencing, card-access to front doors and secure front entryways.
School districts are required to match a certain percentage, so 45 percent of the cost would be covered by APS, if approved, and the remaining 55 percent would be picked up by the state.
Kizito Wijenje, APS executive director of capital master planning, said the district is prepared to cover its $5,950,723 portion for the project through money in its capital master plan budget.
Jonathan Chamblin, executive director of the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority said that up to $16 million in legislative funding — made available earlier in 2018 — is accessible statewide this year.
Chamblin said the authority has been working with APS to verify its application and said the district has been “generally pretty sound.”
He said Oct. 11 is the tentative date for the awards announcement.
Wijenje said security assessments have been done at all APS schools and each will eventually get uniform security upgrades regardless of how much money the district may get from the state.
“What an award will do is accelerate this process such that more of our students and
families will have their schools receive adequate security equipment faster,” he told the Journal.
Security initiatives have become an amplified priority for schools across the country after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February. The incident sparked a national movement on gun violence and school safety.
APS submitted seven grant applications, each with 10 schools prioritized per state requirements.
Wijenje said the 70 schools represent roughly onethird of the schools statewide that are expected to apply for the money, which matches APS’ ratio of schools in the state.
Location, traffic and pedestrian patterns, existing security and crime in the area of the school were all factors into prioritizing which schools were addressed first.
“If we receive funding for all the requests, it will take approximately six to nine months to complete procurement, design and installation of all the hardware applied for at 70 schools,” Wijenje said.
Each project in APS’ applications had a summary of how the measures will improve the school’s security and the total project cost.
The most expensive project estimate, totalling $313,926, was for West Mesa High School, including $10,609 for fencing, $59,140 to put into securing doors and $150,000 for a secure entryway.
The APS Board of Education unanimously voted to apply for the security grants at Wednesday’s meeting.