The Alexandria City Public Schools board opened its first meeting of the 2025-26 school year Thursday evening with celebrations of student and staff achievements, while also addressing pressing concerns about teacher pay delays and outlining significant budget challenges ahead.
Superintendent Dr. K. Wyatt reported the district achieved its lowest staff vacancy rate in years at less than 2%, crediting successful recruitment and retention efforts that brought back former employees who had previously left the system.
“We are seeing staff members who return to ACPS who may have been with us at one point, who left, and now a few of them have returned to join our team,” Wyatt said during her report to the board.
The district celebrated multiple achievements from the summer, including 48 additional graduates who received diplomas on July 31, bringing the total graduation count higher after already achieving the highest graduation rate in May. Four students also earned their GEDs during the summer ceremony.
Three new student representatives introduced themselves to the board, with seniors Salma Naqshbandi, Madesen Lynch, and Darwin Flores Salazar outlining their goals for authentic representation of the diverse student body at Alexandria City High School.
“I’m here to close any gaps between what happens in this room and how it’s experienced in the classroom,” said Flores Salazar. “We want to listen to students, share their ideas, and ensure their voices are a part of the conversation.”
Lynch emphasized the importance of connecting students with school board members, saying the representatives plan to invite board members to school events like sports games and International Night to help students “put names to faces.”
We were proud to host an orientation today for our new School Board Student Representatives Salma Naqshbandi, Madesen Lynch, and Darwin Flores Salazar.
As student representatives, they will serve as a vital link between their peers and the elected leaders who guide our schools.… pic.twitter.com/ypu5QzN1NW
— Alexandria City Public Schools (@ACPSk12) August 11, 2025
During public comments, community member Laurel Taylor raised concerns about new teacher compensation, highlighting that new staff members do not receive paychecks for six weeks after starting work and lack health insurance until October.
“I don’t know if some of our new school board members know, but our new teachers currently do not get paid for six weeks after they start working for ACPS full time,” Taylor said. “Thinking about how expensive Alexandria is, I hope you can feel what kind of stress and anxiety that puts on our new teachers.”
Taylor argued that the delayed payment system limits diversity in hiring by requiring new teachers to have personal financial resources to cover living expenses during their first weeks of employment.
Board Chair Michelle Rief presented budget projections showing the district will need an additional $19.3 million in the 2026-27 school year to maintain current service levels. This figure includes anticipated staff pay raises, health care premium increases, and inflation costs for utilities, supplies, and contracted services.
“This $19.3 million is the additional revenue that would be needed in the next school year to maintain the current level of service that we are offering in this school year,” Rief explained.
The projection does not account for potential enrollment increases, costs resulting from ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the Education Association of Alexandria, or the impacts of federal funding uncertainty.
Board member Tim Beatty emphasized the importance of early budget communication and expressed hope for adequate funding to retain quality staff members who are often recruited by surrounding districts.
“We continue to be poached by surrounding districts,” Beatty said. “Folks, we do a great job of training, and the experience that folks get here makes them great teachers and great administrators. But that leads to other folks wanting to take some of our best leadership away.”
The district will hold community budget sessions, titled “Funding Our Future,” on August 27 at George Washington Middle School, and a traditional community budget forum on October 15.
Wyatt recognized several achievements from the summer, including Alexandria City High School student Leslie Eyeson winning the Virginia School Board Association student essay contest and graduate Zachary Baker-Heil being selected as one of 15 National Merit Scholarship winners nationwide for a college-sponsored program.
Dr. Tricia Jacobs, the district’s Career and Technical Education director, received two awards: the Virginia Technology and Engineering Education Association CTE Administrator of the Year Award and the Lynn P. Barrier Engineering Leadership Award.
The district’s Office of School Nutrition Services earned a Healthy Meals Incentives Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for innovation in school meal preparation.
Board member Kelly Carmichael Booz requested future discussion about the proposed DASH bus pilot program, citing new concerns about student safety protections on public transportation versus school buses, particularly given recent immigration enforcement activities in the community.
“What are the legal protections that students will get on a school bus versus on a DASH bus?” Booz asked, referencing ICE activities at public bus stops that occurred on the first day of school.
Beatty also requested an update on the implementation of the district’s bell-to-bell cell phone policy, noting questions from parents and students about enforcement procedures.
Wyatt reminded the community that the policy prohibits cell phone use during school hours and asked for parental support in reinforcing the rule at home.
The board announced upcoming meetings, including a board development session on Aug. 28, committee meetings in early September, and the next regular board meeting on Sept. 4.
The meeting concluded with a closed session to discuss legal matters related to an Office for Civil Rights case and security planning discussions.
Watch the meeting in its entirety here.
