Parents and lawmakers press APS board over Council of Great City Schools contract; board opens competitive RFP process

Dozens of parents, teachers and elected officials told the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education on June 4 that the district’s relationship with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) has reduced transparency and that community voice has been sidelined.

Speakers at the meeting’s public forum urged the board either to terminate the CGCS contract or to open the selection of governance coaches to a public, competitive process. Several speakers said individual board members had been prevented from explaining dissenting votes and that the contract’s provisions were not publicly available.

“Perhaps most egregiously, this current board has never voted on the contract, which has been dictating how it governs,” said Tony Watkins of Family United for Education. Parent Kristen Wood Hegner said a lack of transparency around district decisions “threatens the fragile relationship between families and the school district.” State Sen. Linda Lopez and state Rep. Diane Hockmanby Hill each told the board that the district should use vendors with local expertise and follow open procurement rules.

Why it matters: Commenters tied the CGCS relationship to broader governance changes the board has adopted in recent years — including a student-outcomes focused governance model — and said procurement and communication practices have undermined trust. Several speakers asked that any future…