2019 APS Mail-in Election

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1 2019 APS Mail-in Election Rebuild, Repair, Refresh If you are a registered voter who lives in the Albuquerque Public Schools district, you should be getting a ballot in the mail in January. You will be asked to vote yes or no on a bond/mill levy package that will help pay for more than $1 billion in school improvements over the next six years. We re talking everything from rebuilding new schools to repairing fences, playgrounds, and heaters to refreshing computers, microscopes, and tubas. A yes vote on all three ballot initiatives will mean a property tax increase of just under 5 percent. That amounts to an increase of about $8 a month for a $150,000 home or about $12 a month for a $220,000 home. A no vote will make it difficult for the district to maintain classrooms, schools, and grounds. And, planned renovations and improvements of many of our aging schools would not take place. Why Increase Taxes? It's been a dozen years since APS has asked for a property tax increase, but the additional bump is needed to offset rising construction costs. In the past 5 years, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County construction costs have increased on average by 12 percent a year. In 2014 the average construction cost per square foot was $ In 2018 the average construction cost per square foot was $ The reasons for the construction cost increases include: The lingering New Mexico recession A shortage of qualified technical/construction workers in New Mexico Increase in costs of building materials including steel, concrete, and wood Approval of the bond/mill levies would pump about $100 million a year into the local economy.

2 Where Would the Money Go? If voters approve the three questions on the 2019 mail-in ballot, the District will be able to do 3 things: 1. Rebuild aging schools 2. Repair buildings and grounds and improve safety and security 3. Refresh technology and educational equipment All 143 APS schools, as well as charter schools, would receive funding. 1. Rebuild Nearly $553 million is slated for school design and construction. Many APS schools were built decades ago and are showing their age. In the last bond/mill levy election, voters overwhelmingly approved funding to rebuild schools across the district. Some got new classroom wings, others got new gyms, cafeterias, science labs, art and music additions, theaters, courtyards, athletic fields and in a few cases entirely new schools. This go-round, APS has prioritized 11 new projects and is seeking funding to continue 23 that are already underway. Projects range from replacing schools like Harrison Middle School and Janet Kahn Elementary to new athletic facilities for Eldorado and Rio Grande high schools to new classroom wings at Whittier, Hawthorne, Lavaland, Monte Vista, Sierra Vista, and Valle Vista elementaries. APS isn't planning to build new schools at this time. 2. Repair $94 million would go to school facility maintenance. Some of the money raised through the bond/mill levies would go to help update and upgrade school buildings and grounds. This includes: School Safety and Security Roofing Air Conditioning Heating Bus & Parent Pick-up/Drop-off Areas Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Upgrades Turf Fields Fire Protection Electrical Systems Playgrounds Fencing Parking Lots School Safety and Security $20 million would toward school security and safety. Projects include: Heavy-duty door locks for more than 6,500 classrooms Installation of card access at all schools

3 Installation of secured remote access vestibules at the entrance of all schools Perimeter fencing for all schools A real-time monitored districtwide camera system Construction of a school police command and coordination center 3. Refresh More than $150 million would go to upgrading technology for students, classrooms, and schools across the District. Another $48 million would go to replace outdated school furniture and to purchase educational equipment for: Physical Education Libraries Vocational Education Music Fine Arts Science Labs How Much Will This Cost Taxpayers? The District is asking for a 4.7 percent increase in property taxes, which amounts to $2 per $1,000 taxable value (the taxable value is a third of the home value). Proposed Property Tax Increase Home Value Net Taxable Value Increase Per Month Increase Per Year $100,000 $33,333 $5.56 $66.67 $150,000 $50,000 $8.33 $ $220,000 $73,333 $12.22 $ $280,000 $93,333 $15.56 $ Vote! To make sure you get a ballot, register to vote and confirm your mailing address by January 8, If you aren't registered to vote, you have until Jan. 8 to do so. Get more information at NMVote.org. If you are registered, please take a minute to make sure the County Clerk has your correct address. If the address is wrong, you will need to fill out a new voter registration. There are several ways to do this: Register online through the New Mexico Secretary of State Voter Services. your request for a voter registration application to clerk@bernco.gov. Call to request an application. Mail a letter requesting an application to Bernalillo County Clerk s Office, One Civic Plaza NW, Room 6022, Albuquerque, NM 87102

4 Preview the Ballot Coming to Your Mailbox this January 1st Mill Levy Question (SB9 Mill Levy) - $190 million over 6 years Shall the Albuquerque Municipal School District No. 12 impose a property tax of $2.00 per each $1, of net taxable value of property allocated to the Albuquerque Municipal School District No. 12 for the property tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for the purpose of 1. erecting, remodeling, making additions to, providing equipment for or furnishing public school buildings 2. purchasing or improving public school grounds; 3. maintenance of public school buildings or public school grounds, including the purchasing or repairing of maintenance equipment, participating in the facility information management system as required by the Public School Capital Outlay Act [ NMSA 1978] and including payments under contracts with regional education cooperatives for maintenance support services and expenditures for technical training and certification for maintenance and facilities management personnel, but excluding salary expenses of school district employees; 4. purchasing activity vehicles for transporting students to extracurricular school activities; 5. purchasing computer software and hardware for student use in public school classrooms; 6. purchasing and installing education technology improvements, excluding salary expenses of school district employees, but including tools used in the educational process that constitute learning and administrative resources, and which may also include: a. satellite, copper and fiber-optic transmission; computer and network connection devices; digital communication equipment, including voice, video and data equipment; servers; switches; portable media devices, such as discs and drives to contain data for electronic storage and playback; and the purchase or lease of software licenses or other technologies and services, maintenance, equipment and computer infrastructure information, techniques and tools used to implement technology in schools and related facilities; and b. improvements, alterations, and modifications to, or expansions of, existing buildings or tangible personal property necessary or advisable to house or otherwise accommodate any of the tools listed in (6) above. FOR the public school capital improvements tax AGAINST the public school capital improvements tax

5 2 nd Mill Levy Question (HB33 Mill Levy) - $510 million over 6 years Shall the Albuquerque Municipal School District No. 12 impose a property tax levy of $4.83 per each $1, of net taxable value of residential property and $5.34 per each $1, of net taxable value of non-residential property allocated to the Albuquerque Municipal School District No. 12 for the property tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for the purposes of A. erecting, remodeling, making additions to, providing equipment for or furnishing public school buildings; B. payments made pursuant to a financing agreement entered into by a school district or a charter school for the leasing of a building or other real property with an option to purchase for a price that is reduced according to payments made; C. purchasing or improving public school grounds; D. purchasing activity vehicles for transporting students to and from extracurricular school activities; provided that this authorization for expenditure does not apply to school districts with a student MEM greater than sixty thousand; E. administering the projects undertaken pursuant to Subsections A and C of this section, including expenditures for facility maintenance software, project management software, project oversight and district personnel specifically related to administration of projects funded by the Public School Buildings Act; provided that expenditures pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed five percent of the total project costs; and F. purchasing and installing education technology improvements, excluding salary expenses of school district employees, but including tools used in the educational process that constitute learning and administrative resources, and which may also include: a. satellite, copper and fiber-optic transmission; computer and network connection devices; digital communication equipment, including voice, video and data equipment; servers; switches; portable media devices, such as discs and drives to contain data for electronic storage and playback; and purchase or lease of software licenses or other technologies and services, maintenance, equipment and computer infrastructure information, techniques and tools used to implement technology in schools and related facilities; and b. improvements, alterations, and modifications to, or expansions of, existing buildings or tangible personal property necessary or advisable to house or otherwise accommodate any of the tools listed in this subsection. FOR the public school buildings act tax AGAINST the public school buildings act tax

6 General Obligation Bond Question (GO Bond) - $200 million Shall the Albuquerque Municipal School District No. 12 be authorized to issue up to $200,000,000 of general obligation bonds for the purpose of 1. erecting, remodeling, making additions to and furnishing school buildings, 2. purchasing or improving school grounds, 3. purchasing computer software and hardware for student use in public schools, 4. providing matching funds for capital outlay projects funded pursuant to the Public School Capital Outlay Act, or 5. any combination of these purposes? FOR the school district bonds AGAINST the school district bonds