ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – As Albuquerque Public Schools prepares its spending plan for the next year, a huge drop in students could lead to significant cuts.
Wednesday night, the school board focused on what that could mean for special education. Fewer students means less money overall for the district. However, spending for special education could actually go up. For the 2026–27 school year, the district is proposing a $284 million operational budget for its Special Education Department. That funding covers teacher salaries, supplies, and other program expenses. That’s up $15 million from the current school year’s $269 million budget.
According to the latest numbers, the district has seen a massive drop in total enrollment, with about 27,000 fewer students this year compared to 2010. But the number of students in special education has actually increased by about 3,500 during that same time period…