Four seats on the Albuquerque Public Schools school board in New Mexico are up for election on November 4, 2025.

Albuquerque Journal’s Noah Alcala Bach wrote, “The balance of power between the two primary factions that make up the Albuquerque Public Schools board is on the ballot this November.”

Eight candidates are running in the four districts. Those candidates are:

• In District 3, incumbent Danielle Gonzales and Rebecca Betzen are running. A third candidate, Isaac Flores, withdrew and endorsed Betzen, but remains on the ballot.
• In District 5, Brian Laurent and Joshua Martinez are running. Incumbent Crystal Tapia-Romero did not seek re-election.
• In District 6, David Ams and Warigia Margaret Bowman are running. Incumbent Josefina Dominguez did not seek re-election.
• In District 7, incumbent Courtney Jackson and Kristin Wood-Hegner are running.

To read more about each candidate’s policies, click here.

Albuquerque Journal’s Noah Alcala Bach wrote, “Historically, the local teachers union, the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, and the metro’s business community power players, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of NAIOP, a commercial real estate organization, have been key organizations in the battle for power on the APS board.”

In 2021, three candidates aligned with the business community and one candidate backed by the teachers’ union won. Of the seven-member board, three candidates are affiliated with the business community and three are affiliated with the teachers’ union. One is not affiliated with either side.

The Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce endorsed Gonzales, Jackson, Ams, and Martinez. The Albuquerque Teachers Federation endorsed Betzen, Bowman, and Wood-Hegne. The union did not endorse a candidate for District 5.

Another issue in the election is the performance of the district’s superintendent, Gabriella Blakely. The candidates have been divided on her performance since her appointment in 2024. Gonzales, Jackson, Ams, and Martinez all expressed varying degrees of support for her. Betzen, Bowman, and Wood-Hegner were more critical of her tenure. Laurent said it was too early to judge her performance, but that the board’s decision to extend her contract in 2025 was made too quickly.

The Albuquerque Public Schools district covers Bernalillo County and Sandoval County. In the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris (D) won both counties with 59% of the vote and 52% of the vote, respectively.

In addition to school board elections, Albuquerque is holding elections for mayor, city council, and municipal bonds. To read more about other Albuquerque elections, click here.