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APS finance committee hears FY26 budget update, raises questions about special education staffing and grant spenddown
Summary
Albuquerque Public Schools staff presented a FY26 budget briefing focused on state funding projections and special education, with board members pressing about staffing shortages, implementation of IEPs, and a reported 10% increase in grant spending efficiency after centralizing federal and state grants.
Albuquerque Public Schools presented a fiscal year 2026 budget briefing to the Board of Education Finance Committee on March 26, with staff outlining state funding projections and a detailed look at special education services.
The presentation emphasized why the items matter to students and classroom services: district staff said school-level special education needs are growing and that recent changes to how grant funds are managed have produced a roughly 10% increase in grant spending year over year.
Chief Financial Officer Maureen Apodaca opened the presentation, saying the briefing covered "SCG projections and information on the special education department," and noted enrollment figures would be provided in follow-up Q&As. T.C. Reiser, a district special education representative, told the committee, "We are seeing about a 2% increase per year in our students with disabilities," and described steps the district is taking to expand supports, including assistive technology and more opportunities for special education students in general education classrooms.
Board Member Josefina Dominguez pressed staff on staffing and transition supports. Reiser said staffing shortages and turnover are significant challenges and described mitigation efforts: "we are working our best to manage those through our Kelly Subservices and additional training, and we have... HR is working on hiring international teachers to help support." On classroom transitions, Reiser said, "we are obligated to follow a student's IEP, so if that is what is placed in an IEP, then those supports are made available."
Committee members also focused on grant management and spenddown. Apodaca and federal/state grants staff said the district has seen a roughly 10% increase in grant spending from fiscal year 2024 to the current fiscal year and attributed the change to centralization and coordination. Superintendent Scott Blakey said the district "created an office of federal and state grants" to pull grant strategy into one office so funds are not fragmented across departments. Dr. Blea (federal/state grants office) said the approach is "very comprehensive and systemic" and includes internal systems to communicate school- and department-level allocations and reallocate unused funds.
Board members asked whether that improvement could be projected forward; grants staff did not provide a numeric forecast, saying only that the district's goal is to ensure "every dollar goes to improve student outcomes" and that they could not commit to a specific additional percentage improvement.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the FY26 presentation; staff said additional information (including student enrollment figures and updated legislative projections) will be provided at follow-up meetings and in Q&A materials.
Ending: Staff said follow-up materials and additional presentations will include updated legislative outcomes and enrollment data; the finance committee moved on to consent and procurement items after the FY26 briefing.
