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City Council budget approval funds ACPS, citywide pay increases and collective bargaining agreements

By James Cullum
Alexandria City Hall lit up (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon’s $884.3 million fiscal year 2024 budget was unanimously approved by City Council Wednesday night (May 4), backing citywide pay increases, a fully funded school system and collective bargaining agreements with the police and fire departments.

While the real estate tax rate remains unchanged at $1.11 per $100 of assessed value, city residents will have to pay $308.70 annually for the stormwater utility fee — an increase from $294 last year. The budget, which goes into effect July 1, is an increase of 5.4% over last year’s $839.2 million budget. About 47% of it ($398 million) is dedicated to paying the salaries of 2,765 city employees.

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Fundraiser established for family of the ACHS student who died this week

By Vernon Miles
GoFundMe for ACHS student Yonathan Isaí Vasquez Méndez (image via GoFundMe)

(Updated 11:10 a.m.) After the death of Alexandria City High School student Yonathan Isaí Vasquez Méndez earlier this week, friends and family are raising funds to help cover funeral expenses and other costs.

While no cause of death has been officially announced, scanner traffic at the time indicated first responders were administering Narcan and later that day, the City of Alexandria issued a warning about fentanyl-laced drugs after “two recent suspected drug overdoses involving school-aged youth,” the Alexandria Times first reported.

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News

ACHS’ Theogony editors look back at a year of student journalism and activism

By Vernon Miles
2023 Theogony Editors. Front Row L to R: Zoe Sermons, James Libresco, Ermila Mazariegos, Casey Donahue. Back Row L to R: Chloe Yokitis and Yahney-Marie Sangare

With the 2022-2023 school year coming to a close next month, it’s been another banner year for Alexandria City High School (ACHS) student newspaper Theogony.

In recent years the student newspaper has been at the forefront of stories about ACHS, from breaking the story about former Superintendent Gregory Hutchins Jr. sending one of his children to a private school rather than ACHS to publishing a study about phosphorus levels in nearby Taylor Run.

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News

ACPS: Broken water pipe shuts down three Alexandria schools

By James Cullum
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School at 4633 Taney Avenue (via Google Maps)

A water main break has shut down three Alexandria schools today.

Douglas MacArthur (4633 Taney Avenue), James K. Polk (5000 Polk Avenue) and Patrick Henry Elementary (4643 Taney Avenue) Schools have been closed, according to Alexandria City Public Schools.

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Alexandria School Board seeking public input on significant elections changes

By Vernon Miles
ACPS headquarters and clock (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria could be making significant changes to the way the School Board is elected, from staggered terms to breaking alignment with the standard election cycles.

A new survey suggests that School Board elections could be changed to staggered terms, meaning school board members are elected across different years rather than all at once.

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News

Four Alexandria schools participating in speed camera pilot

By James Cullum
Speed cameras (via ACPS)

Four Alexandria school zones have been selected for a pilot program to install speed cameras, according to a presentation prepared for a joint City Council and School Board meeting.

This is the first time Alexandria will use speed cameras, and the following locations were agreed upon by Alexandria City Public Schools, the police department and the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services:

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Police and Firefighters getting big raises in Alexandria City Manager’s $881 million budget proposal

By James Cullum
Alexandria City Hall lit up (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon released his proposed $881.1 million fiscal year 2024 budget at City Hall on Tuesday night, and it includes an option to raise taxes by 1 cent.

The budget also reflects $8.1 million in collective bargaining agreement funds that will go to the Fire and Police Departments.

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Alexandria’s School Board and City Council butt heads over school safety

By Vernon Miles

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) leadership presented some recommendations for a school safety plan to City Council members, but faced some pushback that the process is moving too slowly and occasionally missing the point.

ACPS leadership presented interim Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt’s recommendations for a School Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) in a joint City Council/School Board meeting yesterday. Broadly, the recommendations emphasize continued funding of school resource officers along with a reexamination of protecting student confidentiality and new de-escalation strategies.

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News

Alexandria teachers applaud raises, additional budget changes

By James Cullum
ACPS teachers advocating at the January 19, 2023, School Board meeting (Courtesy photo)

Alexandria City High School teachers are applauding increased wages and other recent changes to the Alexandria City Public Schools’ proposed fiscal year 2024 budget.

The School Board approved the proposed $359.9 million fiscal year 2024 combined funds budget proposal on Thursday night. The budget is a 4% increase over last year’s approved budget and includes funding to develop an official ACPS plan and policy for collective bargaining with employees.

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New safety report details ACPS arrests and security incidents this school year

By James Cullum
Police car lights (file photo)

Seventeen Alexandria City Public School students were arrested in the first two quarters of the 2022-2023 school year. There were also 15 weapons-related incients, 41 students injured, 44 fights/assaults and a report of sexual misconduct.

That’s according to a school safety report to be presented to the School Board on Thursday. There were 188 incidents requiring a police response within Alexandria City Public Schools in the first two semesters of this year. Weapons seized include knives, brass knuckles, stun guns/tasers, a BB gun and pepper spray.

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