ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Tuesday’s election results are likely a sigh of relief for Albuquerque Public Schools, as voters approved two scaled back money measures.
As of 10:07 p.m. Tuesday, the school district’s $100 million construction bond question was passing with voters with over 68% of votes for the bond and nearly 32% of votes against the measure.
The district’s mill levy tax, worth $2 for every $1,000 of net taxable property value, was also passing Tuesday night with just over 63% of voters supporting the measure, versus about 37% of voters against it.
If the measures pass, the district says they’ll generate roughly $290 million dollars for school construction, repair, and remodeling projects over the next six years.
In an interview on Tuesday afternoon, a district spokesperson told KRQE News 13 the measures represent a critical funding source for having virtually any funds for school building and maintenance projects.
“The state’s public school tax has expired, so there is basically not a maintenance fund right now,” said Monica Armenta, APS’ executive director of communications.
The money measure’s likely passage comes after a crushing loss for the district early this year. In February, Albuquerque voters rejected two tax measures and a bond that would have brought in around $900 million to the district for school projects, around triple the amount APS asked for this election.
The school district says it will use cash from these new money measures to pay for “urgent safety needs” and “basic repairs.”
“There’s some money set aside for projects to be completed, like a gym at Rio Grande High School, where it’s not up to code and they’ve been waiting for years, classroom renovations that have been put off for a long time now,” Armenta said.
The money attached to Tuesday’s election measures will not go toward any APS district worker salaries.
APS addressed the election results at a news conference on Wednesday.
