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.
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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.
