Is smaller better?
Splitting APS into three districts could localize control of schools, reduce costs and improve performance
During the 2017 Legislative Session, I co-sponsored Senate Bill 89 with Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, which would have reorganized the Albuquerque Public School District into three smaller, more manageable districts of no more than 40,000 students each. The legislation was unsuccessful, but following recent reporting about high administrative costs amid a budget crunch, this idea deserves thoughtful study by APS and the Public Education Department.
When I introduced SB 89, there was very little disagreement with the central mission of the bill; concerns about the details and potential side effects of implementation were understandably far more pressing.
Our teachers, principals, administrators and APS board members are working very hard on behalf of our students in Albuquerque, and for that they deserve commendation. But localizing the control of Albuquerque public schools could improve classroom performance, community engagement with the school board and decrease costs if it’s done the right way.
For one, the boundaries of each new district must be prudently constructed. While it’s likely that the needs of students in the Northeast Heights may differ from the needs of students in the South Valley, we must ensure that each new district have equal bonding capacity. Creating poorer districts will not help improve student outcomes.
We must also consider how this may affect the master plan APS already has put in place. Schools must continue being constructed, restored and improved on the schedule APS has decided, even if the district is broken into smaller, more localized districts.
Dividing up the sprawling bureaucracy of New Mexico’s largest school district could help reduce rising administrative costs as well. A large bureaucracy that sets policies districtwide will always be a poorer fit than bureaucracies in smaller districts, setting policies specific to the needs of their community. The one-size-fitsall approach necessitated by large school districts creates bureaucratic nightmares as students and schools across the district are affected in different ways. Districts that can be more responsive to the unique needs of their community should require less administration than larger districts with diverse, disparate groups of students and schools. More localized districts could help teachers as well, allowing them to better personalize their teaching style and lesson plan without ill-fitting bureaucratic red tape getting in their way.
This has been done before, and with very successful results. Rio Rancho Public Schools used to be a part of APS before becoming its own district. Since the split, school performance has improved drastically, and Rio Rancho now has some of the best schools in the state.
The PED would be wise to commission an independent study of the potential effects of dividing up APS, how best to do it while creating sensible borders and equalizing bonding capacity, and whether it can be done in a way that will decrease the cost of administration.
If done correctly, smaller districts should save the state money, improve education outcomes, and strengthen the relationship between the community and the school board. If not breaking up the districts outright, changes like what Sen. Rue and I proposed in House Bill 298 could also help increase local control and bureaucratic efficiency. That bill would have reorganized APS staff into four quadrants, allowing each to refocus on the specific needs of each community. These are goals that Republicans and Democrats alike can get behind and agree upon, and the best way by which to accomplish them is worth investigating.