Parents happy with APS, 2016 survey finds

30% of district parents answered 15 questions

Parents of Albuquerque Public Schools students are overwhelmingly satisfied with the district, according to a survey presented to the board of education Wednesday.

The 2016 Quality of Education Parent Survey asked 15 questions covering things such as school safety, technology, extracurricular activities, discipline, communication and atmosphere.

Nearly all the responses were positive.

For instance, 89 percent of parents who completed the survey said their child’s school provides appropriate academic rigor, and 93 percent believed the district offers a wellrounded education.

The results were presented a day after the Public Education Department gave APS an overall D grade based on a variety of measures, including test scores and graduation rates.

Beata Thorstensen, manager of APS school data support, told the board that PED has mandated the annual survey for at least a decade and responses are typically positive.

“All of the percentages are fairly high,” she said.

On the latest survey, the only question that drew less than 80 percent support dealt with standardized tests, a controversial area.

Overall, 70 percent of respondents said the amount of testing is appropriate.

At the elementary school level, 73 percent of parents support current testing levels, followed by 68 percent of middle school parents and 58 percent of high school parents.

Board member Don Duran said he

he could receive counseling while awaiting trial. He said Hickman has family in the city who are supporting him while he faces the “serious charges.”

But Molzen said Hickman is a flight risk and a danger to the community.

“I’m glad nothing happened when Mr. Hickman was stopped by police,” she said.

Hickman was arrested by Albuquerque police after an officer heard explosions from the Old Navy store and then spotted Hickman fleeing the scene, prosecutors said in court. He had a firearm, a flare, an AR-15 rifle and Mason jars full of explosives in his vehicle when he was taken into custody.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Federici said that, while Hickman has been charged with starting only the Old Navy fire, there is evidence linking him to other recent fires set at Albuquerque businesses.

He said Hickman was carrying a list at the time of his arrest that identified Old Navy and at least one other business where a fire was set. Also, Mason jars containing a flammable liquid used in the Old Navy fire and in his possession when he was arrested, were used to set other fires.

There were eight instances of either fires or “suspicious devices” reported at various businesses throughout Albuquerque in recent weeks.

“There already are very obvious and clear linkages,” between the fires, Federici said.

Hickman is facing a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, though that could be increased to 30 years if it’s confirmed he used explosives.