Also on Nov. 4, Albuquerque voters will determine the fate of a general obligation (GO) bond that will finance an array of necessary construction projects in Albuquerque Public Schools.
Dr. Gabriella Durán Blakey, Albuquerque Public Schools superintendent, and Dr. Antonio Gonzales, APS deputy superintendent, have explained the bond to the GACC Board of Directors.
If approved, the GO Bond would generate $350 million for a host of projects.
Those include converting 20 schools from evaporative coolers to refrigerated air and construction projects at 13 schools. The funding would also pay for a new career technical educational student training facility, a Taylor Middle School classroom block and a West Side student special needs education facility.
The proposed $350 million bond package would also continue investment in school security upgrades.
All new construction at APS includes state-of-the-art technologies as an addition to the district’s layered approach to school safety and security. That includes:
- Main entry security vestibules with audio and video connection to the front desk, as well as remote buzz-in/out for all visitors to schools
- Security card access to major school exterior doors
- Audio enhancement, which gives emergency dispatchers the ability to listen in on what’s happening in a particular classroom in the event of a critical incident
- Commercial heavy-duty locks on every classroom door
- Security cameras
- Intrusion and fire alarms
- All the above are monitored and controlled 24/7 in real-time by a state-of-the-art school police/security command center that has the ability to stream real-time emergency footage to law enforcement agencies.
- Strategically located emergency and crisis evacuation maps at multiple locations at all facilities
- In recent years, APS has invested more than $60 million on safety measures at schools, including cameras, alarms, door locks and fencing. That number will grow if voters approve the proposed bond in the Nov. 4 general election.
Approval of the bond would NOT increase taxes. Early voting begins on Oct. 7, with expanded early voting starting Oct. 18.
The Chamber urges its members and the community to vote for approval of the GO Bond, as it will keep moving APS forward with providing a secure and competitive environment for learning.