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APS plans October budget town halls; committee favors interactive activities to teach trade-offs
Summary
APS staff proposed October town halls required by state statute and suggested interactive activities to show how enrollment drives budget choices. Possible dates are Oct. 14–15 or Oct. 28–29; staff will work on locations, student involvement and hands-on budget exercises.
Albuquerque Public Schools staff told the Community Engagement Committee on June 16 that the district plans to hold required budget town halls in October and intends to use interactive activities to help community members understand trade-offs.
David Behling, Executive Director of Budget and Strategic Planning, said the meetings are required by state statute and administrative code and that staff will conduct a community survey and staged events. "These meetings are required per state statute and administrative code," Behling said during his presentation.
Staff proposed two date windows: Wednesday–Thursday, Oct. 14–15, or Wednesday–Thursday, Oct. 28–29. The committee discussed hosting one session in the board room and another at a school in the Southwest quadrant; Truman (a recently completed school) was suggested as a candidate site.
Board members emphasized making the sessions interactive rather than a sequence of slides. Member Manzano proposed tabletop exercises that simulate different enrollment levels so participants can see how enrollment affects resource allocations: "Education budgets are based on enrollment and I think it would be good to have tables with different enrollments and which dictates the amount of resources they can use at the activity at their table," he said.
Staff and board members also discussed recruiting student voices for the October events, using live streaming, and integrating survey feedback into the presentation. Behling and his team will review activity options (including previous budget 'games' used by the district), select sites and finalize dates and presentation logistics.
Next steps: staff to confirm dates and venues, develop an interactive activity for the public, coordinate student participation and distribute a community survey to guide the presentation.
