Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) spent nearly $700,000 from federal pandemic relief funds on anti-racism training for staff, according to accounting records obtained by the legal advocacy group America First Legal (AFL). The funds, originally approved in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan to help students recover from COVID-19 learning loss, were directed toward workshops provided by the Anti-Racism Training Institute of the Southwest (ARTI), an affiliate of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB). District officials stated they could not immediately confirm the specific breakdown of federal versus local funds but defended the spending as a tool to improve attendance and academic achievement.
What the Left Is Saying
District officials and proponents of the training argue that the workshops were part of a broader strategy to address systemic barriers to student success. A spokesperson for APS stated that the district has not received criticism regarding the use of these funds and emphasized that the programs were intended to help with attendance and academic achievement for students. The training, which included courses like 'Community Conversations' and 'Undoing Racism,' was viewed by district leadership as essential for creating an equitable school environment that supports all learners. Internal memos indicate the district considered extending the equity model to students in 2022, envisioning projects that would engage 20 to 30 students per school, though this student component was never implemented.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative legal groups and critics argue that the diversion of pandemic relief funds represents a misuse of taxpayer dollars intended for educational recovery. Julie Levin, senior counsel at America First Legal, stated that instead of using the money to help students get back on track, the district paid for training sessions that she described as indoctrination. Levin argued that the funds were meant to address the direct impacts of government lockdowns, not to fund ideological training. Bobby Crossin, counsel at AFL, characterized the spending as part of a trend where leftist groups infiltrate schools to shape children's minds and social behavior, labeling the sessions as Critical Race Theory indoctrination.
What the Numbers Show
According to records obtained by America First Legal, APS initially approved $336,500 in American Rescue Plan funds in 2021 for PISAB-related training. However, the district ultimately spent nearly $700,000 on the program. By July 2022, at least 721 APS staff members, including teachers and senior officials, had attended ARTI training. The district had proposed nearly $1 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training through 2024, which would have reached approximately 2,000 people annually. In 2023, ARTI provided a quote for $27,000 for in-person 'Undoing Racism' training. The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, which distributes materials defining race as a classification created to maintain power and privilege, has received grants from the Open Society Foundations.
The Bottom Line
The spending highlights ongoing tensions over the allocation of federal pandemic relief funds in school districts. While APS maintains that the training supports student outcomes and has not faced significant local criticism, watchdog groups continue to investigate similar uses of federal funds in other blue-state districts, including Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. The case may influence future oversight of how districts utilize remaining federal education dollars, particularly as debates over curriculum and school administration priorities persist in the 2026 political landscape.