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

Superintendent Base Salary and Enrollment - 2022-2023
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.

APS Superintendent Salaries Through the Years
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