Alexandria City School Board

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ACPS to consider prohibiting second jobs for administrators after employee’s dismissal

By Emily Leayman
The Alexandria City School Board will meet on Jan. 8. (via Alexandria City School Board)

After a now-fired Alexandria City Public Schools administrator was found with a second job, the Alexandria City School Board is considering updates to its second job policy.

On Thursday, the School Board will review a policy update for employees' additional jobs beyond their school district employment. The proposed addition calls for no second jobs for ACPS chiefs, executive directors or directors unless the superintendent gives approval. It would apply for second jobs with an average of 10 hours per week for at least a month.

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New ACPS budget proposal defers Cora Kelly project, schedules K-8 conversions in 2030

By Katie Taranto
Capital Improvement Program add/delete session on Dec. 16, 2025 (via Alexandria City Public Schools)

An updated $282 million budget proposal would defer renovations at an Alexandria elementary school while securing funding for two contentious K-8 conversion plans in 2030.

The new Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget from Alexandria City Public Schools comes in at $58 million less than the Alexandria City School Board’s original proposal and remains under the city’s guidance of $285.8 million, following weeks of workshopping by school and city leaders to trim it down.

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Advocates support proposal for new ACPS subcommittee focused on capacity challenges

By James Cullum
Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School at 1501 Cameron Street (via Jefferson-Houston/Facebook)

A proposal to create a new City Council/School Board subcommittee focused on Alexandria City Public Schools’ capacity challenges has won the support of a local advocacy group.

Save Jefferson-Houston (Save JH), which opposes the Alexandria City School Board’s plans to convert two K-8 schools into a middle school and elementary school, has voiced support for the proposal, which was offered by ACSB members Ryan Reyna and Kelly Carmichael Booz during a Capital Improvement Program work session last week.

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News

Speakers call for renaming ACHS fields at Minnie Howard after late Mayor Kerry Donley

By Katie Taranto
Former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran speaks at an ACPS facilities renaming public hearing on Dec. 11, 2025 (via ACPS)

Several community members braved the cold yesterday evening (Thursday) to voice their support for a petition to rename The Fields at Alexandria City High School after former Mayor Kerry Donley.

Eight out of thirteen speakers yesterday spoke in support of the measure during a public hearing on Alexandria City Public Schools’ considerations to rename four facilities across the district. Among them were Gayle Reuter, former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran and Kaitlin Donley, one of Donley’s daughters.

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School Board seeks more time to address concerns about APD contract

By Katie Taranto
The Alexandria City School Board will meet on Jan. 8. (via Alexandria City School Board)

The Alexandria City School Board voted unanimously last night (Thursday) to extend its contract with the Alexandria Police Department through June 30.

The extended memorandum of understanding (MOU) will give the School Board’s Governance Committee more time to draft a new contract proposal that fully addresses its concerns, Division Counsel Robert Falconi said at last night’s meeting.

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News

ACPS proposes $340M capital improvements budget over next decade

By Katie Taranto
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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News

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

By James Cullum
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 School Board sets budget planning session for Thursday

By James Cullum and Ryan Belmore
Alexandria School Board meeting in 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria School Board will hold a budget planning session Thursday evening to begin crafting the fiscal 2027 spending plan amid uncertainty over potential federal funding cuts.

The meeting, scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m., will feature ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt launching the budget process with the School Board. The session will lay the groundwork for releasing her proposed 2027-2036 Capital Improvement Program budget in November, the draft Combined Funds Budget in January, and final budget adoption in June.

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School board to review $9,999 donation for male mentoring program

By James Cullum
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt talks about a proposed policy change on student publications at the May 8, 2025, School Board meeting (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria School Board will consider Thursday whether to accept a $9,999 donation from McLean-based Proxyware to support a male mentoring initiative at two city schools.

Alexandria City Public Schools received the $9,999 donation on Sept. 2 for programs at Patrick Henry K-8 School and Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 School. The board must approve any donations over $5,000.

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Alexandria school board expresses caution on DASH transit proposal

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

The Alexandria City School Board voiced significant concerns Thursday about a city proposal to transition high school students from school buses to public transit, with several members calling for scaled-back pilot programs or questioning the timing of such a significant change.

During a work session at 1340 Braddock Place, board members weighed City Manager James Parajon’s recommendation to implement a three-phase plan moving high school students to DASH buses beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

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