Skyrocketing Construction Costs Leave APS Projects Unfinished

Voters will consider a general obligation bond package in November that will complete 13 stalled school construction projects, among other things.

In 2021, Albuquerque Public Schools voters approved funding for 20 major school construction projects, and the district’s Capital Master Plan team got to work.

Kizito Wijenje and his team have successfully embarked on this process countless times, and like those previous times, they included contingency funding for inflation in the original project amounts. But this time, thanks to skyrocketing inflation that far exceeded the projections, it would be different. 

The average construction cost per square foot on APS projects shot up from $349 in 2021 to $542 this year, a 55% increase. Since 2019, the cost has more than doubled.  

Those skyrocketing construction costs – fueled by a skilled worker shortage, ballooning building material prices and other factors – made many of the school projects unaffordable.

Wijenje and his team made the most of the situation, concentrating the voter-approved funding on the projects they could afford to complete and moving forward on them. However, 13 previously approved projects were left underfunded.

To address that shortfall, APS is asking voters to consider a measure that would earmark $174 million toward completing the remaining 2021 projects. It’s part of a $350 million general obligation bond package the district will be asking voters to consider in the Nov. 4 general election. Approval of the bond would not increase the current tax rate.

Specifically, the measure would generate:

• $18.1 million for design and construction of Phase 1A and 1B at Barcelona Elementary, which will include demolition of the 1960s administration building and construction of a new gym, cafeteria and kitchen, media center, and administration building

• $1.3 million for the Desert Ridge classroom addition
• $21.7 million for the first two phases of a five-phased school replacement at Eldorado High, which will include a gymnasium, turf field, concessions, outdoor space and a new 35 classroom academic building
• $36.9 million for the Highland High classroom block
• $28.3 million for a classroom block and roof work at Hubert Humphrey Elementary
• $10.9 million for a classroom block and renovation at La Mesa Elementary
• $10 million for a classroom block at Mary Ann Binford Elementary
• $15.6 million for a classroom block at McKinley Middle
• $1.7 million for a classroom block at Taylor Middle
• $3.3 million for a classroom block, Phase 2b demolition and bathrooms at Truman Middle
• $18.1 million for a classroom block at Valle Vista Elementary
• $24.5 million for the Whittier Elementary rebuild
• And $39.5 million for a classroom block at Zia Elementary 

Wijenje knows voters may be a little confused about the proposed GO bond since they already approved these 13 projects in 2021. 

“If we had not had this gigantic spike in costs, we would have had the money to have finished these,” Wijenje said. “All of these projects would have been underway.”

It’s a problem officials throughout the state and country are grappling with as construction costs continue to escalate.

The proposed general obligation bond seeks to fulfill the promise made to voters in 2021 by completing these 13 projects, which were stalled due to unforeseen cost escalations, Wijenje added.