How Albuquerque Public Schools Became a Real Estate Empire, Not an Education Leader
While voters head to the polls to approve another $350 million APS bond, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board is voting on a measure ensuring that only union members can build APS projects.
This is what I call "legal corruption" — laws and regulations crafted to reward political allies rather than students.
APS: From Educator to Real-Estate Empire
Few realize that APS is one of the largest landowners in the Albuquerque metro area. According to APS's own Real Estate Facts:
"APS owns twenty-two percent of the land in the Albuquerque Metro Area. APS has over 17 million square feet of school buildings, portable classrooms, administration offices, and facilities. APS has Joint-Use Agreements with the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and the State of New Mexico on three community centers, five pools, and forty-one parks."
APS has become one of the most successful property developers and managers in the region — and now it plans to become the only union-exclusive developer and manager.
The Building Fallacy
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee praised Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton and Sen. Mimi Stewart for legislation to "improve school buildings," claiming that new facilities would improve student performance.
But the evidence says otherwise. Consider Del Norte High School in Albuquerque and Acalanes High School in California: both built in 1965. Del Norte was torn down and rebuilt in 2010; Acalanes still uses its original facility.
Today, Del Norte ranks 13,394th nationally, while Acalanes ranks 699th.
APS's leaders want voters focused on the quality of the buildings, not the quality of education inside them.
Education by the Numbers
APS's own NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) results tell the story:
- 4th-grade reading – 23 % proficient
- 4th-grade math – 26 %
- 8th-grade reading – 20 %
- 8th-grade math – 17 %
Not surprisingly, New Mexico ranks 50th in the nation for education for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Book.
APS often excuses its failure by claiming it's "average among large districts." Perhaps the question should be: Is it time to break up APS?
Enrollment Collapse
While APS builds bigger, pricier schools and rewards union allies, parents are leaving.
APS enrollment numbers tell the tale:
- 2015: 93,000 students
- 2016: 85,000
- 2021: 74,000
- 2022: 70,000
- 2025: 64,000
This means one of two things:
- Families are leaving Albuquerque, a warning sign for city leaders, or
- Parents are voting with their feet, abandoning APS for alternatives.
Either way, APS can no longer blame poor performance on its size.
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What You Can Do
1. Forward this article to the APS School Board —
2. Vote NO on the current APS bond issue.
3. Demand that the Legislature break up APS into smaller, manageable districts.
4. Elect conservative leaders in the Albuquerque Metro Area. No matter where you live in the state, help these conservative candidates. This will help to cut off the flow of progressive money into rural New Mexico elections.
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Stop Legal Corruption
New Mexico ranks among the most corrupt states in the nation, both legally and illegally.
Union paybacks, like APS's Project Labor Agreement, are textbook examples of legal corruption.
👉 Stop the APS PLA today.
