Albuquerque Public Schools
Budget survey Shows Safety and Security is Top Priority
APS leaders have been gathering input through survey, community meetings as budget process for 2026-2027 begins.
While the 2026-2027 school year is still 10 months away, Albuquerque Public Schools leaders are already beginning to craft the spending plan for it.
In preparation of that work, APS leaders have been gathering input through a budget survey and community meetings held in recent weeks.
Roughly 5,300 parents/guardians, staffers, students and community members have already weighed in, taking the district’s 10-question budget survey.
Survey participants were asked to rank their overall budget priorities by category, and, not surprisingly, safety and security came out on top:
- Safety and security: 44.8%
- Instruction and curriculum: 17.8%
- Student support and well-being: 15.1%
- Facilities and infrastructure: 6.3%
- Professional development and staff support: 3.7%
- Technology and innovation: 1.6%.
When asked to rank the top safety and security investments APS should make, 41.2% said school safety staff should be the top priority, followed by building security enhancements, which 24.6% of those who took the survey ranked as the top priority.
In the instruction and curriculum budget category, 51.6% said the top priority should be engaging and relevant curriculum and instructional materials. This was followed by increasing student access to college and career readiness courses, which 18.4% listed as the top priority.
Counseling and mental health support for students received the highest priority ranking in the student support and well-being category, with 43.9% saying it should be the top priority. Increasing student and family support services came in second, with 13% listing it as their top priority.
When it comes to facilities and infrastructure investments, a strong majority – 55.8%, said the top priority should be heating and cooling, followed by building maintenance, which was ranked the top priority by 20.6%.
Survey takers were also asked to rank professional development categories, and 39.9% listed classroom management as their highest priority, followed by social-emotional learning, with 14.4%.
In the technology and innovation categories, STEM-related technology received the highest priority ranking, with 31.7% ranking it first. This was followed by laptops or tablets in the classroom, which was ranked a top priority by 29.9% of survey takers.
Of the 5,300 people who took the survey, 47.4% were APS parents or guardians, 41% were APS employees, and 9.3% were both. Only 1.2% of survey responses came from students, and 0.9% came from community members not directly affiliated with APS.
Crafting the district’s budget is a months-long process and must be completed by the spring to present to the state Public Education Department. Exactly how much money APS will receive is a moving target, largely dependent on the 2026 state legislative session, but district leaders believe priorities can be set ahead of time by listening to the public.