The Alexandria City Public Schools Board reviewed updated advisory committee processes and discussed legislative priorities for the 2026 General Assembly session during a work session on Thursday evening.
The Operational Excellence Committee presented comprehensive changes to how the district manages its six advisory committees, focusing on improved communication and accountability between committees and the school board.
Advisory committee changes
“We have divided our committee up into a number of areas, one being the advisory committees,” said board member Donna Kenley, chair of the Operational Excellence Committee. “I believe that what we have managed to accomplish is communication, really excellent communication system.”
The new processes include standardized resources for committee chairs, updated appointment procedures, and annual reports with tracking systems for recommendations. Committee chairs now receive Google Drive folders with templates, checklists, and frequently asked questions to support their work.
Under the revised appointment system, the Operational Excellence Committee oversees the process from application to board approval. Applications go to committee chairs, staff liaisons, and board liaisons who must reach consensus before forwarding recommendations to the board.
The annual report structure now includes four categories of recommendations: new, refined, continued, and discontinued. This system allows committees to update previous recommendations while providing the board with a comprehensive view of ongoing priorities.
“Every year it represents this is the committee’s full understanding and all of their recommendations, even prior ones, so the board doesn’t have to go back and look through prior years,” the board member explained.
Board members will provide written responses to all committee recommendations, creating a dialogue between committees and the board. This represents a new requirement designed to ensure recommendations receive proper consideration.
2026 legislative priorities
The board also reviewed its 2026 legislative priorities with Emily Webb from Advantus Strategies, the district’s lobbying firm. Webb shared that she has extensive experience in education policy, having served under four governors and as executive director of the State Board of Education.
The legislative priorities focus heavily on funding formula changes recommended by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s 2023 study. According to ACPS officials, Alexandria receives among the lowest state funding in Virginia despite serving a diverse student population with significant needs.
“Alexandria is in the bottom 10 divisions in terms of how much funding we get from the state,” said board member Ashley Simpson Baird. “Even with the student population and the need that we have in this community, we are one of the lowest in terms of the state funding that we receive.”
The district serves more than 16,300 students from 118 countries who speak 127 languages. Forty-seven percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 38% are English learners, and 12% receive special education services.
Funding formula debate
Board members expressed interest in advocating for a student-based funding formula rather than Virginia’s current staffing-based system. Under the current system, funding is determined by staffing ratios that board members said don’t reflect actual educational needs.
“We need to both modernize Virginia’s K-12 funding formula and significantly increase state funding for public education,” Simpson Baird said. “Because if there’s a significant increase in state funding but the funding formula doesn’t change, it’s going to continue to disproportionately not fare well for Northern Virginia.”
The draft legislative priorities include authorizing a 1% local sales tax for school construction, implementing JLARC funding recommendations, modernizing assessment systems, and aligning funding with true labor costs.
Simpson Baird noted that 35 states and Washington D.C. use student-based funding formulas, while only nine states use staffing-based systems like Virginia’s, according to the Education Commission of the States. The board discussed coordinating with other Northern Virginia districts and similar divisions statewide to advocate for changes.
“I think we ought to be coordinating with other districts around the state that are in a similar situation to us at or near that 80% figure,” said board member Tim Beaty, referring to the local composite index that determines state versus local funding shares.
Assessment and other priorities
The draft priorities also address assessment and accountability concerns, including gradual implementation of new SOL cut scores and reducing reliance on standardized testing. The board’s positions include maintaining access to education regardless of immigration status and promoting safe firearm storage requirements.
Webb outlined the legislative timeline, noting that Election Day on Nov. 4 could significantly impact priorities depending on outcomes. Pre-filing begins Nov. 17, with the General Assembly session starting Jan. 14, 2026.
“Following hopefully the approval of the full process program and the priorities next week, I will work with the staff here,” Webb said. “We’re going to make it kind of be a visually appealing document to be able to share with legislators.”
Board members discussed creating materials that clearly show funding impacts in dollar terms rather than policy language for legislators who may not specialize in education policy.
The board is scheduled to vote on the final legislative program and priorities at its Oct. 23 meeting. Webb will then begin meeting with the delegation and tracking relevant legislation throughout the session.
See supporting documents from the meeting here.
