Six contend for APS District 6 seat
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories on the candidates running for the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education.
In the most packed Board of Education race, six contenders are fighting for the District 6 seat vacated by Don Duran, including former board president Paula Maes, who lost to Duran in 2013.
Maes served three terms before the defeat, gaining attention for her fight against initiatives like third-grade retention, the practice of holding back third-graders who can’t meet reading benchmarks.
The longtime president and CEO of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association said she would like to return
to “improve the public perception of all of APS, to improve student outcomes and to get true community engagement.”
She will face off against two Sandia scientists, a teacher, a compliance inspector and a marketing expert for the District 6 seat, which covers the Northeast Heights and East Mountains.
Abbas Akhil, a 68-year-old native of India, came to New Mexico in the early 1970s to study engineering at New Mexico State University, then went on to a long career at Sandia National Laboratories, retiring in 2011.
University of New Mexico graduate Elizabeth Armijo, 47, has worked in marketing and communications for a number of local organizations, including UNM Health Sciences Center, YWCA Middle Rio Grande and Leadership New Mexico.
Doug Brown, 67, studied computer science and engineering at Purdue University and Florida State, developing expertise in cybersecurity. Currently, he is a senior scientist at Sandia, placing him in the top 1 percent of the ranks.
Melissa Finch, 46, earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies at the University of New Mexico and has been a compliance inspector since 2011.
Former general contractor Paul Sievert, 65, switched to a teaching career in 2001, working for Digital Arts and Technology Academy until 2014. He is now an Albuquerque Public Schools substitute.
The diverse field of candidates disagree on many major educational issues, including a lawmaker’s proposed breakup of APS and the controversial Common Core curriculum — a set of English and math standards.
Brown would like New Mexico to replace Common Core, calling it “a failure, as is evidenced by the fact that many states are abandoning it.”
“Teachers and parents and even an educator who developed it have spoken out against Common Core,” he said.
Finch and Sievert are also explicitly against Common Core; Akhil and Maes both said it is good in theory but has been tough to implement.
To Armijo, the major issue is high-stakes testing linked to the standards.
The possible division of APS into three smaller districts — proposed by Rep. David Adkins, R-Albuquerque, to increase accountability — was generally unpopular.
Only Akhil and Sievert thought it was worth considering if there are potential economic or academic benefits. The other candidates are firmly opposed.
“While there is data to support the benefits of smaller class sizes, there is none that shows students do better in smaller school districts,” Armijo said. “Let’s fund what we know works.”
Finch noted that a split benefits wealthy neighborhoods, while poorer areas would suffer, creating “an unfair advantage for some districts and a disadvantage for others.”
A breakup also would be “lengthy and very costly,” according to Brown.
Maes said she always will support APS as one school district.
“As resources and commitment for public education continue to dwindle, the best use of funds is a strong and successful APS,” she said. “It is in the better interest of education of children to keep APS as one district.”