Jan. 28—Gabriella Blakey is no stranger to Albuquerque Public Schools.

Currently the district’s chief operations officer, Blakey has been with APS off and on for roughly two decades.

But as she now makes her case to become the district’s next superintendent, some have questioned if Blakey can effect change as a longstanding member of the district’s top administration, or if APS needs a fresh, outside perspective to turn things around.

Blakey, however, sees her intimate knowledge of APS as exactly what it will take.

“I know the people, I have the relationships, I know our kids — I walked in their shoes,” she said. “I know what’s working well and what’s not working well, and I know how to address that.”

“The fire inside of me, along with my ability to be an advocate for other people, has encouraged me to move forward and put myself at the table in places where I can make a decision that will better outcomes for students,” she added.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Remind me where you’re from and where you went to school?

A: I am from Albuquerque. I graduated from Highland High School.

Q: We’ve talked about this before, … but this is not your first time applying to be APS’ superintendent. So to put the question bluntly, why do you want this job so much?

A: I care a lot about our community and our students. I was a student in Albuquerque Public Schools. I went away after college and taught outside of New Mexico and was drawn back to New Mexico because I have a sense of responsibility to give back to my community.

So I worked over the past few years to better my skills, get more information and work harder to keep trying to be able to be in a position where I can make a difference at a higher level, because I get really frustrated sometimes in some of the barriers I see.

If given the opportunity, I think I have the ability to break through some barriers because of my knowledge of the community. I know what’s causing some of the barriers, and I’m pretty bold in being able to address them.

Q: Because you are one of the district’s top officials currently, and have been for some time, I’ve seen some argue that APS needs a fresh perspective to effect change. How would you respond to that?

A: Over the course of my career, I’ve been able to make substantial improvement and differences in areas that I’m able to, but I’ve never been in a position where I am able to make the bold decisions to move forward that I know we need to do.

In some areas, we are doing really well. And in some areas, we can do better. And I think that I have the ability to bring in the outside and the inside perspective … I see it as momentum.

Q: By the same token, you’ve talked about how you helped develop APS’ strategic plan to get things moving in the right direction. So tell me a bit more about that work.

A: We worked over the past year, putting the strategic plan together. And I was basically the district lead in working with a consultant that we had … that went out into the district, into the schools and (would) bring back ideas, suggestions for us. And then we worked with the cabinet and the steering committee … to essentially put the plan together.

I know the initiatives really well; I know why they’re in there. It’s a five-year plan, so I’m very familiar with the landscape of why we did things in Year 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And I also know where we’re lagging and what we need to do to move it forward so it doesn’t become just the plan on the shelf.

Q: I think this … has been asked and answered before, but I have seen some people in the community bring up concerns about your return to APS in 2015, being the daughter of former board President Don Duran. Could you address those concerns again?

A: The Board of Education can only hire and fire one person, and that’s the superintendent. So at that time, when my dad was the board president, I wasn’t applying for superintendent.

I had actually left the district to start a charter school because, like I said earlier, my interest is in learning the outside so I can bring it back in, … so I always had an intention to come back.

I think my work speaks for myself. But I was never in a position where the Board of Education was supervising me.

Q: You have been in a high-level position with APS for some time. But becoming the superintendent would be a big step up in responsibility. To what extent do you feel you’re prepared for that challenge?

A: I feel I’m very prepared. Even when I started in the teaching profession … I was really frustrated in the classroom and wanted to make a change.

I get really frustrated, quite honestly, in my roles because I’m not able to be the final decision-maker or push things forward. I can push it as far as I can in the things that I’m responsible for, but I can’t do it in a way that I can leverage as a leader for a large district/organization when I know that I can.

Q: How would you reach New Mexico families, especially those whose voices have been historically underrepresented and/or for whom English is a second language?

A: Obviously, I feel very comfortable in those settings because I am a New Mexican. So communicating with New Mexicans is an innate ability I have. And I come from families of English language learners, so I’m very comfortable in this setting, and I also was an English language learner teacher.

I never use language as a barrier. And I want our kids to know that it’s always an asset to bring in a second language.

Q: For the penultimate question, anything you want Albuquerque to know ahead of Tuesday’s public forums and the board’s decision the following day?

A: My investment in our community and our kids I see as an asset and not a barrier to the success of Albuquerque Public Schools.

I have a (vested) personal interest in our community, and I’m willing to put myself out there in a very vulnerable spot because the work of our kids is more important to me than anything.

Q: Last question, and maybe the most important: red or green?

A: Red, 100%.