Overview
The APS superintendent will oversee the implementation of the district's strategic plan which calls for setting clear expectations, providing rigorous instruction, engaging students, and instituting responsive and coordinated systems.
The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education seeks a superintendent who will implement solutions to accelerate student achievement, engage families and the community in student success, and continue to address learning challenges exacerbated by the global pandemic.
APS educates approximately 70,000 students in 143 schools supported by 10,000 employees. The Board of Education is looking to hire an accomplished educator with a working knowledge of the opportunities and challenges urban public school districts present. The successful candidate must strongly believe in every student’s innate capabilities and show evidence of success in closing opportunity and achievement gaps.
The candidate must be committed to supporting the goals and guardrails identified by the APS Board of Education and have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to uplift student voices, bring families into decision-making, and support all staff to help realize student success. Finally, the candidate needs to understand that learning is most effective when students feel supported and have access to physical, social-emotional, and behavioral health services.
The Albuquerque Public Schools district is governed by seven board members elected to four-year terms. The board hires, supervises, evaluates, and sets the superintendent’s salary. It also has the authority to develop educational, personnel, managerial, and financial policies for the district and to adopt annual balanced operating and capital budgets. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience working collaboratively and in partnership with elected/appointed school boards and other city/state elected leadership.
Goals and Guardrails
The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education has shifted how it governs, prioritizing its work to focus on student outcomes. This Student Outcomes Focused Governance framework centers on the vision and values expressed by the APS community to support what we want our students to know and be able to do. During dozens of community meetings and countless individual conversations in the fall of 2022, the community's vision and values became clear - they want schools to focus on literacy, math, post-secondary readiness, and the skills, habits, and mindsets that lead to success. And they expect equity, support, quality instruction, voice, and engagement. The vision and values lead to the adoption in early 2023 of the Albuquerque Public Schools: Goals and Guardrails.
Emerging Stronger Strategic Plan
- Priority I: Clear Expectations
- Priority II: Rigorous Instruction
- Priority III: Engaged Students
- Priority IX: Responsive and Coordinated Systems
Learn about the Emerging Stronger Strategic Plan.
APS at a Glance
With its $2.1 billion budget, APS has a large economic impact on the city of Albuquerque. The school district employs about 11,000 people, including 5,000 teachers. More than 70,000 students are enrolled in APS schools.
- 69% qualify for free or reduced-price meals
- 19% speak English as a second language
- 22% are enrolled in special education classes
View the At a Glance page or the APS Dashboard for more information.
APS Superintendent History
APS has had 28 superintendents (a few served as interim superintendents) in its 132-year history. Except for John Milne, who served as superintendent for 45 years beginning in 1911, the average tenure of an APS superintendent is just under three years.
Previous Superintendents
- Charles Elkanah Hodgin: 1891–1897
- J. T. Perigo: 1897–1898
- Mayo E. Hickey: 1898–1902
- A.B. Stroup: 1902–1905
- James Elton Clark: 1905–1906
- W.D. Sterling: 1907–1911
- John Milne: 1911–1956
- Charles Spain: 1956–1965
- Noah C. Turpen: 1965–1966
- Robert L. Chisholm: 1966–1969
- Tom Wiley: 1969–1971
- Ernest Stapleton: 1971–1977
- Francisco D. Sanchez: 1977–1978
- Joseph P. Robitaille: 1978–1980
- Francisco D. Sanchez: 1980–1985
- Lillian C. Barna: 1985–1988
- Jack Bobroff: 1988–1994
- Dr. Peter P. Horoschak: 1994–1998
- George Bello: 1998
- Dr. H. Bradford Allison: 1998–2002
- Joe Vigil, Beth Everitt, Tom Garrity, Michael Vigil: 2002–2003
- Joe Vigil: April–July 2003
- M. Elizabeth Everitt: 2003–2007
- Linda Sink, Interim Superintendent: January–July 2008
- Winston Brooks: 2008–2014
- Dr. Brad Winter, Interim Superintendent: 2014–2015
- Dr. Luis Valentino: June–August 2015
- Raquel Reedy: 2015–June 2020
- Scott Elder: July 2020–present
Superintendent Salary Comparisons
Enrollment | Min Salary | Median Salary | Max Salary | Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fewer than 300 | $50,125 | $106,000 | $240,000 | 265 |
300 to 999 | $84,000 | $125,000 | $330,000 | 772 |
1,000 to 2,999 | $116,000 | $150,000 | $400,000 | 735 |
3,000 to 4,999 | $66,000 | $180,300 | $369,326 | 290 |
5,000 to 9,999 | $120,819 | $200,000 | $368,131 | 214 |
10,000 to 24,999 | $116,000 | $225,000 | $400,000 | 117 |
25,000 to 49,999 | $90,000 | $258,000 | $354,526 | 28 |
50,000 to 99,999 | $253,000 | $300,934 | $364,000 | 8 |
100,000 or more | $103,000 | $297,500 | $328,000 | 6 |
Mean | $156,468 |
Read the 2022-2023 Superintendent Salary & Benefits Study for more information.
Superintendent | Years as a Superintendent | Salary |
---|---|---|
Lilian Barna | 1985–1987 | $75,000 |
Tom Garrity (one of four co-superintendents) |
2002–2003 | $105,000 |
Michael Vigil (one of four co-superintendents) |
2002–2003 | $125,000 |
Joseph Vigil (one of four co-superintendents) |
2002–2003 | $125,000 |
Beth Everitt (when she was one of four co-superintendents) |
2002–2003 | $125,000 |
Beth Everitt (when she became the sole superintendent) |
2003–2008 | $150,000–$192,934 |
Winston Brooks | 2008–2014 | $256,000–$266,316 |
Luis Valentino | April–August 2015 | $240,000 |
Raquel Reedy |
2015 (as acting superintendent) 2016–2020 (as superintendent) |
$200,000 $240,000–$276,186 |
Scott Elder |
2020 (as acting superintendent) 2021–2023 (as superintendent) |
$225,000 $241,020 |