Twenty three Alexandria middle schoolers and eight Alexandria City High School students were arrested in the first two quarters of this school year, according to a report that the School Board will receive Thursday.
There were also 213 incidents requiring a police response, including five weapons-related incidents, 43 students needing EMS assistance, 56 fights/assaults and three reports of sexual assault.
The Alexandria School Board unanimously authorized starting the collective bargaining process with its teachers and licensed staff Thursday night, kickstarting an extensive period of negotiation on employee rights, wages and benefits.
A number of Alexandria teachers an union representatives voiced their displeasure, however, with stipulations in the ACPS draft collective bargaining resolution.
An Alexandria City High School student suffered a suspected non-fatal overdose inside the school, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt announced to parents this afternoon.
“I am writing to make you aware of a suspected school-connected, non-fatal student overdose that happened today at Alexandria City High School — King St. Campus,” Kay-Wyatt wrote.
Alexandria City Public Schools officials want to reach a collective bargaining agreement by the end of this year, and a resolution to approve the process will be presented to the School Board next week.
The draft collective bargaining resolution was reviewed last Thursday by the Board’s Collective Bargaining Committee, and Board Chair Michelle Rief said that the school system has a goal of coming to an agreement with staff by the end of this year. Such a deadline means that any major changes to staff benefits and compensation would be realized with next year’s passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
(Updated at 4 p.m. on Jan. 29) Critics contend that the proposed Alexandria City Public Schools budget shortchanges staff, but that’s not what the superintendent is saying.
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt says that her proposed $374 million fiscal year 2025 budget focuses on retention with a full step increase and a 2% market rate adjustment for eligible staff. The school system is currently experiencing a staffing crisis, and the budget also increases bus driver salaries to $24 an hour for new drivers and more than $47 per hour for senior drivers with more than a decade experience with the school system. The budget also opens the door to the creation of a collective bargaining agreement with staff.
Somebody in Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is making the proper sacrifices to the snow gods: Alexandria students and teachers will have another snow day tomorrow (Friday).
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said the school system will have another snow day tomorrow — i.e. no virtual learning will take place — after getting one earlier this week on Tuesday. With MLK Day on Monday, ACPS students only attended classes on Wednesday and Thursday.
True to the legacy of the titan Prometheus, Alexandria City High School’s Titan Robotics team is celebrating ten years on the cutting edge of discovery and innovation.
Titan Robotics kicked off its tenth season earlier this month.
After years in development, the School Board will vote Thursday night on a new logo for Alexandria City Public Schools, and Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt is recommending Logo 1, according to a staff presentation.
“After careful consideration by the ACPS leadership team and consideration of the community input, the superintendent recommends that the School Board accept Logo 1 as the new logo and brand to represent Alexandria City Public Schools,” ACPS said in the presentation. “Some logo elements may be refined when finalizing the final logo version.”
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) announced at 6:15 p.m. on Monday that schools and offices would be closed on Tuesday, with students getting a ‘traditional snow day’ rather than switching to virtual learning.
After previously considering switching to virtual classes on any school days that might be closed due to snow, the ACPS website noted that the school division would also consider having some snow days off for students and teachers.
(Updated 1/10) Data in a new report shows a geographic and racial divide between which Alexandria students receive out-of-school services.
The Alexandria City Youth Report noted that the city’s out-of-school programs “tend to be clustered at schools and recreation centers, with fewer programs offered in the West End.”
Louis Kokonis, an Alexandria City High School math teacher who worked in the school division for over 60 years, died yesterday.
Kokonis, 91, was renowned for his devotion to the students. A CBS article last year noted that Kokonis, who had no wife or children, offered free tutoring on Saturdays and was often the first to arrive at the school each day.
