Alexandria City Public Schools

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

Published May 4, 2023 at 3:45PM

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

By Vernon Miles

Published May 3, 2023 at 3:50PM

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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JUST IN: ACPS to announce new superintendent on Thursday

By James Cullum

Published May 2, 2023 at 3:50PM | Updated May 2, 2023 at 4:06PM

ACPS headquarters and clock (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The permanent superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools will be announced by the School Board on Thursday night, ACPS announced today.

While their identity has not been revealed, the successful candidate was chosen after a national search that started last November in consultation with Nebraska-based McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C Executive Recruitment and Development, according to ACPS.

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Alexandria City Council wants to incentivize locals and businesses to get private security cameras

By James Cullum

Published April 27, 2023 at 3:45PM | Updated April 27, 2023 at 4:11PM

Alexandria City Hall sign (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Personal security cameras, speed cameras in school zones, summer youth employment programs and eviction prevention funding are just a few of the final additions included in the fiscal year 2024 budget by the Alexandria City Council on Tuesday.

Council approved funding a $20,000 program to encourage businesses and homeowners with a “small incentive” to set up security cameras to deter crime, as well as increase their coordination with the Alexandria Police Department.

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Alexandria Police unveil strategy to combat crime surge

By James Cullum

Published April 26, 2023 at 3:30PM

Suspect arrested after shooting near Braddock Road Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

Adding police presence to high-crime areas, putting more cops in communities and strategically placing mobile camera units are just a few of the initial strategies that the Alexandria Police Department is employing to confront a crime surge.

APD Assistant Chief Easton McDonald briefed City Council on the uptick on Tuesday night, and also said that there is an increase in juvenile crime and crimes being committed by young people.

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Alexandria public school enrollment stagnation puts scrutiny on capacity-boosting projects

By Vernon Miles

Published April 25, 2023 at 3:45PM

Students return to George Washington Middle School (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

A new report indicated Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) enrollment could stagnate over the next few years.

In a meeting of the City Council and the School Board yesterday, it was clear that stagnation is causing some in city leadership to look skeptically at some of the school district’s ambitious capacity-increasing programs planned over the next few years — the modernization of George Mason Elementary School in particular getting name-dropped.

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Police: Four juveniles arrested after allegedly eluding police in stolen car

By James Cullum

Published April 20, 2023 at 10:20AM

Alexandria Police arrested four juveniles after a brief chase in the 1400 block of N. Beauregard Street (via Google Maps)

Four male juveniles were arrested after a brief chase from a stolen car in the West End on Tuesday afternoon, prompting four schools to go on lockdown, according to the Alexandria Police Department.

The incident occurred at around noon near the 1400 block of N. Beauregard Street. Police recovered a handgun from one of the suspects, according to dispatch reports.

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ACPS: Broken water pipe shuts down three Alexandria schools

By James Cullum

Published April 18, 2023 at 10:00AM

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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Notes: Alexandria named ‘one of the best places to travel’ by Money Magazine

By James Cullum

Published April 3, 2023 at 10:38AM | Updated April 3, 2023 at 10:58AM

It’s a beautiful spring morning in Alexandria!

Today’s weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 72 degrees during the day, and cloudy with a low of 56 degrees tonight.

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Four Alexandria schools participating in speed camera pilot

By James Cullum

Published March 27, 2023 at 3:30PM

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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Alexandria’s City Council and School Board clash in intense budget battle

By Vernon Miles

Published March 14, 2023 at 3:55PM | Updated March 14, 2023 at 4:55PM

ACPS headquarters and clock (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The tense discussions between Alexandria’s City Council and School Board came to a head over Alexandria City High School’s Chance for Change Academy.

The joint work sessions are a chance for the school and city leaders to close the $7.5 million gap between the School Board’s $58.7 million request and the City Manager’s proposed $51.3 funding to the schools in the fiscal year 2024 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). But while both sides agreed relations between the two bodies are better than they’ve been in the past, the conversation still reopened old wounds between the two leadership teams.