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APS board accepts progress-monitoring report on career pathways; superintendent outlines Academies of Albuquerque plan
Summary
The Albuquerque Public Schools Board accepted a progress monitoring report on interim goal 3.2 (career pathways), heard questions about CTE teacher recruitment, Perkins grant findings and supports for students with disabilities, and approved follow-up data requests.
The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education voted Dec. 3 to accept a progress-monitoring report on interim goal 3.2, which tracks student participation in career-connected learning and the district cademies of Albuquerque initiative.
Superintendent Dr. Blakely and senior staff presented data showing an increase in students earning career-connected credits, including a noted figure that 57.9% of 11th-grade students with disabilities earned credit in at least one career-connected learning course in 2024-25. Board members requested a breakdown of that percentage for "twice-exceptional" students versus general special-education students; staff said the breakdown was not on the display and pledged to provide it after the meeting.
The discussion focused on teacher capacity and industry partnerships. Vice President Courtney Jackson asked about recruiting and licensing CTE teachers and about bringing in community experts; in response the superintendent described a multi-pronged approach tied to the Academies of Albuquerque. "When we talk about bringing industry experts into our classrooms, I would like the board to think about them as adjunct faculty. They come in and they work with our educators. They don't work in lieu of them," the superintendent said, explaining plans for paid summer externships for teachers and industry professionals serving as co-instructors while teachers remain the teachers of record.
Board members pressed for accountability details and supports. Member Josefina Dominguez asked how teacher voice had shaped freshman seminar design; Chief Academic Officer Sherry Jett pointed to pilot work at Valley and Rio Grande High Schools and described a phased scale-up that incorporates practitioner input and differentiated professional development. Member Tom Morito raised a specific compliance question about using IEP transition plans versus separate next-step plans for students with disabilities; the superintendent said the district will use transition plans when they meet the next-step requirements and will not require duplication.
Member Josefina Dominguez also raised three monitoring letters from the Public Education Department regarding Perkins grant requirements and warned the findings could affect student access to CTE programs; district staff explained Perkins is a more narrowly defined funding stream within a broader career-connected learning strategy and said they would follow up with details on Perkins funding and how operational allocations are used at schools.
After initial roll-call voting and a subsequent procedural motion to reconsider the recorded vote to correct the minutes, the board re-voted and accepted the monitoring report. The board directed staff to provide the requested data breakdowns and additional detail on counselor training and grant expenditures as follow-ups.
The board recorded motions and votes on the floor: the monitoring report acceptance motion was moved by Board member Heather Benavides and seconded by Courtney Jackson; after a successful motion to reconsider the earlier tally, the final roll call recorded approval by the voting members present. The district said it will begin more intensive counselor training on Jan. 5 and continue implementing the academies model in phases.
