APS board approves planning year for Roosevelt Middle School expansion, defers adding 9th grade

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education on July 1 voted to approve a grade‑level expansion reorganization for Roosevelt Middle School and to use 2026–27 as a planning year for any 9th‑grade addition.

Superintendent Duran Blakey and district staff told the board the initiative aims to provide a high‑school option in the East Mountains for families who want to keep students in the Roosevelt pathway. Administration said only four 8th‑grade students had expressed interest in staying for 9th grade this year, so the district will spend the 2026–27 school year on community outreach, detailed planning and coordination with the Public Education Department before adding 9th grade, with a targeted 2027–28 roll‑out if conditions warrant.

"We don't have enough students that are interested to expand into grade 9. We only had 4 students," the administration said, explaining the decision to treat 2026–27 as a planning year and to prioritize intentional communication with families.

Board members asked how the expansion would affect pathways, transportation, staffing and students with disabilities. The district said transportation would continue to allow students who want to attend Manzano for a pathway to do so, and that athletics and extracurricular participation would be accommodated through transportation or cooperative arrangements while the program begins as a small cohort rather than a large facility expansion. On staffing, officials said APS would follow its standard staffing model and add FTE only as enrollment numbers require.

Principal Dave Roberts described outreach the school conducted in the East Mountain ZIP codes, including a district survey and phone calls to families; he said the principalship has been proactive in soliciting family interest but that late spring timing made it hard to reverse prior enrollment decisions for next year.

Several board members pressed for a clear sustainability threshold and contingency plans if enrollment proved too small or if demand exceeded capacity. The administration said the planning year will allow staff to determine the minimum sustainable cohort size and to develop contingency plans, including how transitions would be handled for students with IEPs.

Courtney Jackson moved to approve the grade‑level expansion reorganization; Orikia Bowman seconded. The motion carried.

What happens next: district staff will continue outreach and planning during the 2026–27 school year, prepare any necessary PED filings, and return to the board with implementation details and any required staffing or placement plans before a 9th‑grade launch is approved.