Schools Could Apply for State Funds ; W. Side Might Get Its New Campuses
By ANDREA SCHOELLKOPF Journal Staff Writer
Albuquerque could be eligible to receive state funding for new West Side middle schools this year, under new recommendations issued Tuesday.
The Public School Facilities Authority’s annual rankings place James Monroe and Jimmy Carter middle schools as the second and third neediest in the state for facilities, with Truman Middle ranked at No. 9 and John Adams at No. 13.
The list, released Tuesday by the facilities authority, ranks 752 public schools, including charters, by which have the highest needs for school construction, with space and safety issues among the reasons.
Ranking first was Vista Grande Elementary in Rio Rancho.
Schools that rank in the top 100 have been eligible to apply for matching construction funds through the Public School Capital Outlay Council. Gov. Bill Richardson has said there will be $160 million available this year for such projects.
Albuquerque schools make up 31 of the top 100 schools, with eight in the top 20.
APS facilities director Brad Winter said the rankings could be an option for the cashstrapped district, which is estimating the cost of a new middle school at $30 million.
“We are looking at building that new middle school as soon as possible,” said Winter, who was meeting with West Side parents Tuesday night to discuss options for the overcrowded Monroe Middle School. “The sooner we get it started, the better it will be. We’ll have to figure it out.”
Jimmy Carter — which has received $3.1 million from the council in years past — is again on the list, which facilities authority executive director Bob Gorrell said is “totally driven by growth.”
“This would be needs towards a whole other school because (enrollment is) so high and over-capacity,” Gorrell said.
APS officials on Tuesday said they hadn’t yet seen the rankings, but were concerned about finding matching funds for the projects and any deductions that would be made to account for legislative money given to schools.
Under the matching funds formula tailored to a school district’s taxation efforts, the state will fund 47 percent of the APS projects it awards.
Under funding equity laws, any money schools receive through legislative appropriations — such as funding for playgrounds or baseball fields requested by parent groups or principals — must be deducted from the amount awarded by the Public School Capital Outlay Council.
In the last two years, Albuquerque Public Schools has secured $84 million in matching funds, after about $19 million was deducted because of legislative appropriations.
Most of the awards have gone toward construction of two new West Side high schools when Cibola and West Mesa high schools ranked at the top of the list.
When APS complained about finding matching funds for the new schools, Gov. Bill Richardson said he would seek $115 million to complete the two West Side high schools in two years, but imposed a condition that the district build four other West Side schools — two elementaries and two middle schools.
APS officials fear they will not be able to make up the matching funds for the new project, because of a record amount of capital outlay awards expected to come from the Legislature.
“I think with all the pork that’s going to be there this year, our offset would probably be $20 million-plus,” said APS facilities master plan director Kizito Wijenje.
Many of the projects the state identified have already been funded for improvements through the district’s 2005 property tax election, but Gorrell said that APS may still apply for the matching funds to reimburse construction costs. Las Cruces, for example, has applied for projects that voters have already funded and then used the state money as matching funds for other projects.
Among Albuquerque’s schools on the list that have already received funding in the 2005 bond election are Dolores Gonzales, East San Jose, Marie Hughes, Armijo, Mountain View, Alameda, Alvarado, Alamosa, and Cochiti elementaries and Garfield Middle School.
Others include East San Jose, Zia and Governor Bent elementaries, Wilson Middle and Highland High.
Neediest Schools
Albuquerque schools ranked in the top 100 in most need of facilities are: 2. James Monroe Middle 3. Jimmy Carter Middle 8. Adobe Acres Elementary 9. Truman Middle 13. John Adams Middle 15. Madison Middle 19. Mountain View Elementary 20. Acoma Elementary 22. Jackson Middle 25. Alameda Elementary 35. John Baker Elementary 37. Alamosa Elementary 39. Wilson Middle 41. Cochiti Elementary 42. Sandia High 43. Robert F. Kennedy Charter School 46. Governor Bent Elementary 48. Zia Elementary 55. Marie Hughes Elementary 58. East San Jose Elementary 60. Zuni Elementary 62. Nuestros Valores Charter School 65. Sombra del Monte Elementary 69. Dolores Gonzales Elementary 71. Alvarado Elementary 74. McCollum Elementary 75. Armijo Elementary 80. McKinley Middle 81. Hoover Middle 84. Apache Elementary 98. Highland High 99. Garfield Middle