APS policy committee adopts Request‑for‑Information process setting timelines, clarifying scope of board inquiries

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Albuquerque Public Schools Policy Committee voted Feb. 3 to add a formal Request‑for‑Information (RFI) policy to the APS Governance Manual that sets response timelines, requires board members to attempt to locate information before submitting requests, and clarifies that requests for information are for inquiry only — not directives to the superintendent.

The committee approved the addition of section 4R after a sustained discussion about wording, transparency and how media or constituent inquiries should be routed. Board members agreed on several specific changes during the meeting: change the phrase "readily available" to "readily accessible," add language requiring a good‑faith effort by board members to search existing reports and dashboards before submitting an RFI, and add a new paragraph stating RFIs do not direct or imply action by the superintendent.

Why it matters The policy aims to balance board members' need for timely, accurate information with the district's need to prioritize staff work. Committee members said a clear RFI process helps reduce ad‑hoc requests that can divert district staff, while preserving board oversight and public transparency.

Key provisions approved - Good‑faith effort: The introductory text was revised to state board members will make a good‑faith effort to evaluate necessity, urgency and alignment with board responsibilities and to search existing district reports and dashboards before submitting an RFI. - Wording: Wherever the draft said "readily available," the committee replaced that phrase with "readily accessible." Board Member Courtney Jackson raised the change in wording during discussion and the committee recorded it as an agreed edit. - Response timeline: The district must provide requested materials within 20 business days. If the request is unreasonably difficult to fill (for example, because of volume or location of records), the district may extend the timeline to 30 business days but must notify the requesting board member and explain the delay. - Non‑directive clause: The committee added new language specifying that RFIs are intended solely to address board member inquiries and "do not direct or imply action by the superintendent." That language was read into the record during discussion and accepted. - Agenda escalation and transparency: If a board member pursues an item after an RFI is denied, the policy now requires the member to email the board president and superintendent to request placement on the next Board agenda for consideration. Committee members also discussed announcing such requests during the president's report to make them visible to the full Board. - Media and constituent requests: Committee members agreed that media‑inquiry and constituent outreach language belongs elsewhere in the Governance Manual (for example, in the community‑engagement section 4P or in officer‑roles language) so the RFI section focuses on internal board requests and inter‑board communications.

What committee members said Board Member Courtney Jackson led several wording edits and asked that "readily available" be changed to "readily accessible." During the meeting Jackson said the change had been agreed at a prior session and should be incorporated into the action memo.

Board Member Reynaldo Tomorito proposed a separate clarification that a parental‑rights policy should not supersede federal IDEA procedural safeguards; that clarification applied to KB‑1 (student and parent/guardian rights) and prompted the committee to request a legal review. District legal counsel raised a separate procedural point about timing under the Open Meetings Act: "We wouldn't be able to get it to the full Board with 72 hours, so it would have to go to the next board meeting with any changes," the counsel said during the meeting.

Next steps The committee asked the policy analyst and legal counsel to incorporate the agreed edits, to post section 4R for the required public comment period, and to move media‑handling language into either the community engagement section or officer‑roles portions of the Governance Manual. The committee also set the formal response timeline and directed staff to prepare the RFI text for the full Board's consent calendar.

Ending Committee Chair Josefina Dominguez directed staff to implement the language changes and to prepare the RFI policy for public posting and full Board consideration. The committee recorded the RFI as approved subject to the agreed edits and follow‑up legal review.