The conduct and power of the Alexandria School Board was criticized by multiple City Council candidates on Wednesday night.
The hour-and-a-half-long debate was moderated by Washington Post reporter Teo Armus and hosted by the Potomac Yard and Taylor Run Civic Associations.
Many of the nine candidates (six Democrats, two Independents and a Republican) running for the six Council slots criticized the School Board and Alexandria City Public Schools staff for the recent closure of an elementary school due to lead exposure and the botched rollout of the shuttle system between Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus and the new ACHS Minnie Howard Campus.
Two School Board members, Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi, are running for Council, and both had different perspectives.
Greene said the relationship between Council and the Board is important, and that she was proud of protecting children over two three-year terms.
“Protection of our students is always going to be the greatest issue that any School Board member faces,” Greene said. “I can say wholeheartedly that myself and Mr. Elnoubi have done that for the for the duration of our terms, and we will continue to do so on City Council.”
Elnoubi, on the other hand, said that his fellow School Board members have idly let staff do the hard lifting.
“What’s happened with the Minnie Howard transportation issues?” Elnoubi asked. “It’s what happens when we let staff dictate direction, and the elected School Board does not ask tough questions, does not push back and does not exert its authority. It’s unintended consequences that’s not thought through.”
Elnoubi continued,
We made that mistake again last week, by rushing through the (George Mason Elementary School) rebuild by not pushing back on staff and asking tough questions and asking them for more options that would make more sense to us. Minnie Howard was voted on a 6-3, but it was the staff’s recommendation and the School Board that voted for that did not think this through and we are dealing with their decision today, and this is a lesson to hold the School Board accountable and we need to do that.
With the ACPS budget making up a third of the city’s overall budget, Independent candidate Roy Byrd questioned whether Alexandria is getting its money’s worth.
“I’m all about funding the schools, but I don’t see where we see a return on that investment that’s measurable, so we need to change that,” Byrd said.
Independent candidate Mason Butler said that school systems need to know how to quickly solve problems.
“Quite frankly, we shouldn’t have schools that have lead poisoning or lead exposure,” Butler said.
Lone Republican candidate Celianna Gunderson said that Council and the Board need to work closely.
“We need to make sure that the kids have a good place to study to learn, because having asbestos or lead or any of those issues is, of course, going to impact how they learn,” she said.
Council Member Canek Aguirre said that it’s hard to hold the school system accountable and that maintenance projects have been deferred “way too long.”
“The fact that we had lead gas in the air, lead floating around, also not acceptable,” Aguirre said. “When when it comes to accountability, you the voters hold the School Board accountable.”
Aguirre also said that Council cuts the school system a check, and “they do what they want.”
Council Member Kirk McPike said that the school system could combine city services that overlap, such as transit and capital improvements.
“How can we take some things off the school board’s plate, put them onto the city’s programs that are might be working already, and give the schools more flexibility with the dollars that they’re given to focus on education, as opposed to the ancillary functions,” McPike said.
Council Member Sarah Bagley said that the city needs more state revenue.
“We literally write a check, and we can send instructions, and [the School Board] can just set those instructions aside and spend the money how they choose,” Bagley said. “We have old deteriorating schools. We need state money, state funding to help not only Alexandria, but other parts of the state repair their schools and improve the conditions for all students throughout the Commonwealth.”
Council Member John Taylor Chapman is running for his fifth term, and said that communication needs to improve between the two bodies.
“I think there are questions out there about how we plan, and the Council has to be where the buck stops,” Chapman said. “I would love to continue to have support from our School Board about the way we use tax dollars for education and supporting our young people. This next term, that is going to be front and center, how do we come together. I don’t think we have enough opportunities where both bodies come together and talk about a whole third of your budget, and so that’s what we need to do.”
Election day is Nov. 5.
