Alexandria City Public Schools is in the initial stages of organizing a collective bargaining effort for thousands of its employees.
The school system has more than 2,400 employees and pays $11.6 million in salaries, with funds approved by the City Council. That means that any agreement reached between ACPS staffers and the school system will have to be approved by Council.
Facing inflation, a $17 million budget shortfall and fewer federal economic recovery funds, the Alexandria City Council will consider a tax increase in its upcoming fiscal year 2024 budget.
City Manager Jim Parajon has been tasked with presenting Council with two budget alternatives — one with a tax increase and another without.
Construction and other capital improvement costs for next fiscal year have increased for Alexandria City Public Schools by millions.
More than $14 million out of the $24 million in cost increases for new and existing capital improvement projects is due to supply chain issues and cost escalations, ACPS staff reported in a presentation to the School Board on Monday (Nov. 14).
After a back-and-forth with city leadership on school safety, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares got a quick tour of Alexandria City High School from the city’s leaders on Monday (Nov. 7).
Miyares toured the school, met with students and city leaders, ate lunch and discussed school safety.
Alexandria has started identifying pedestrian safety improvements around Alexandria City High School and a number of other school campuses.
Staff with the city’s Department of Transportation & Environmental Services are creating “walk audits” with available for public review in a final report by next June.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) has filed a special use permit to allow it to extend the use of trailers at Alexandria City High School to 2024.
The specific temporary trailers being discussed in the special use permit are those built specifically to accommodate students displaced by the Minnie Howard campus renovation.
Alexandria City Public Schools leaders will be on-hand tonight (October 26) to discuss school safety.
The conversation starts at 6:30 p.m. at George Washington Middle School (1005 Mount Vernon Avenue), and speakers on the panel include interim Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt, ACPS Director of Safety and Security Services John Contreras, and Director of School Social Work Faiza Jackson.
Updated at 5:55 p.m. The Alexandria School Board on Friday (October 20) received a recommendation to extend its agreement with the Alexandria Police Department to provide school resource officers at the city’s high school and middle schools until the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
The School Board will vote on the matter at its upcoming meeting on Thursday, November 10.
A 15-year-old Alexandria City High School student was arrested after being found with an “edged weapon,” according to police.
The incident occurred at around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 13. The male student was searched, a weapon was allegedly confiscated and he was arrested.
Alexandria leaders agree that the city either needs to expand its aging middle schools or completely build a new one.
There are now 15,700 students within Alexandria City Public Schools, and roughy 2,000 more students are expected by 2024. That puts the city in a tricky position, as 10 ACPS schools are more than 70 years old and need continual maintenance, and a surge in elementary school kids means that Alexandria needs more middle school space.
Alexandria’s Parks and Recreation Commission will discuss funding for three city park projects next week.
Up for discussion is a $436,000 project to install a launch area/paddling access at Four Mile Run Park, $21,000 for student gardens at Samuel Tucker Elementary School and a $25,000 pocket park at Lake Cook.
