Alexandria City Public Schools

After ACPS 10-year plan comes in $54M over budget, subcommittee pushes for cuts

Published November 26, 2025 at 1:45PM

City Council/School Board Subcommittee meeting on Nov. 24, 2025 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

With less than a month until its adoption, city officials are pushing Alexandria City Public Schools leaders to make further cuts to the district’s 10-year Capital Improvements Program, stressing budget constraints.

The $340 million CIP proposal exceeds the city’s recommendation by $54.5 million and arrives during a period of expected citywide budget cuts. Officials underscored the need to limit budgets across the board during a City Council/School Board Subcommittee meeting on Monday night, which followed two ACPS work sessions to fine-tune the proposal.

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ACHS student journalists earn statewide awards as school board to review publication policy

By Katie Taranto

Published November 10, 2025 at 2:45PM

Theogony's 2024-2025 editorial board. Back row from left: Rozalia Finkelstein, James Libresco, Maxwell Jones-LaChance. Front row: Nadja Duss, Casey Donahue, Pablo Cruz Rivera, Julia Gwin and Max Carpenter (courtesy of Chloe Yokitis/Theogony)

It’s been a lively year for the student journalists of Alexandria City High School newspaper Theogony, who were recently named some of the best in the state.

Just months after Theogony staff made national headlines for their enterprising Voices Unbound campaign, the student newspaper was one of five in Virginia to win top-ranking “Trophy Class” honors from the Virginia High School League. Former co-editor James Libresco, who spearheaded the anti-censorship campaign, was also named Virginia’s Student Journalist of the Year.

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ACPS proposes $340M capital improvements budget over next decade

By Katie Taranto

Published November 7, 2025 at 8:15AM

The new athletic field at Patrick Henry K-8 School, March 18, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

A new budget proposal at Alexandria City Public Schools includes nearly $150 million in funding to address the district’s growing student population over the next decade. In total, the proposed […]

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Alexandria plans budget cuts across all departments amid economic uncertainty

By James Cullum

Published November 3, 2025 at 3:45PM

The Alexandria City Council budget retreat, Nov. 1, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Faced with uncertainty from the government shutdown and federal layoffs, Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon says the city is facing a relatively flat Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

Parajon is asking all city departments for a 1% budget cut and 1.5% in growth for Alexandria City Public Schools. During Saturday’s annual City Council budget retreat, he said the city is “not in a negative situation” — but rather, aiming to adjust its sails in turbulent economic times.

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Mount Vernon Community School to be recognized for sudden cardiac arrest emergency plan

By James Cullum

Published October 20, 2025 at 12:30PM

Mount Vernon Community School at 2601 Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray (via Google Maps)

Mount Vernon Community School will be recognized this week for being one of the first jurisdictions in Northern Virginia to implement a sudden cardiac arrest emergency plan.

On Wednesday, a banner will be unfurled at MVCS recognizing it as a Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillation in Adam’s Memory) Heart Safe School. Starting on July 1, all elementary and secondary schools in Virginia must have emergency cardiac response plans, per legislation from the general assembly. Eventually all ACPS elementary and secondary schools will have the designation, will have training and equipment at the ready in the event of a sudden cardiac emergency.

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Award-winning author to read latest children’s book at Alexandria elementary school

By James Cullum

Published October 8, 2025 at 3:30PM

Award-winning author Chris Van Dusen will speak to kids at Cora Kelly School on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (via Instagram)

Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Chris Van Dusen will read his latest book to Alexandria kids next week.

Van Dusen will read from his book, “If I Built a Town,” to students at Cora Kelly School for Science, Math, and Technology (3600 Commonwealth Avenue) on October 15. Inspire Lit and Old Town Books sponsor the 9 a.m. event and is part of Van Dusen’s book tour.

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ACPS to hold public forum on fiscal 2027 budget Oct. 15

By James Cullum

Published October 7, 2025 at 11:30AM

School buses on W. Braddock Road on Dec. 10, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Where should Alexandria City Public Schools prioritize funding in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 budget? The school system is soliciting feedback from the public at an upcoming meeting at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus.

While the School Board will unveil its fiscal forecast and budget priorities at its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 9, the public forum will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The theme of this year’s budget is Nurture, Educate, Inspire. Respondents who can’t attend can submit questions and comments to [email protected].

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DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2025 at 6:00PM

Electric DASH bus, photo via DASH/Facebook

Following Tuesday’s story about DASH hiring policies not prohibiting sex offenders, the transit agency has placed two employees on the Virginia State Police registry on administrative leave to “assess the rigor of our recruitment standards and ensure we meet the highest standards in providing safe, fair, and accessible transit to our community.”

ALXnow looked into DASH’s hiring practices after the Alexandria School Board discussed safety concerns about a proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses starting next school year.

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Q&A: ACHS interim principal discusses 16-hour days, campus transitions, and supporting 4,000+ students

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated September 24, 2025 at 4:44PM

ACHS Interim Principal Lance Harrell speaks at Alexandria City High School's 25th anniversary celebration of the film Remember The Titans, Sept. 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Lance Harrell has a big job, overseeing Alexandria City High School, the largest high school in Virginia.

Harrell says he’s working 10- to 16-hour days, with the longest days being Fridays, when there are football games. “I think the biggest change is just the added hours that I’ve been working,” Harrell told ALXnow in an interview on Wednesday.

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Amid school board safety concerns over student transport, DASH says it doesn’t ‘expressly prohibit’ hiring sex offenders

By James Cullum

Published September 23, 2025 at 5:52PM | Updated September 24, 2025 at 6:03PM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2025): Following this reporting, DASH has placed both registered sex offenders on administrative leave. The transit agency said it is now assessing “the rigor of our recruitment standards” and confirmed that one of the employees is a bus driver, contradicting its initial statement Tuesday that no drivers were on the registry. DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting

Following a discussion on the Alexandria School Board’s safety concerns about the proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses, ALXnow investigated the transit agency’s background check policies and discovered that it does not “expressly prohibit” sex offenders from employment.

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Alexandria schools join Fairfax County appeal over federal funding dispute

By Ryan Belmore

Published September 22, 2025 at 6:21PM

Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools escalated its legal battle against the Trump administration Monday, filing a motion to intervene in Fairfax County’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and requesting emergency injunctive relief to halt federal funding restrictions tied to the district’s transgender student policies.

The development was first reported by Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, who shared the 101-page court filing on social media Monday evening.