budget | ALXnow

ACPS capital budget proposal exceeds city’s request by $186 million

Published November 6, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated November 6, 2026 at 5:26PM

Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor at the Alexandria School Board meeting on Aug. 27, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools has vastly exceeded a recommendation by the city to keep its 10-year capital improvement program budget capped at $184.4 million.

On Thursday, Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor unveiled her proposed $370.6 million Fiscal Year 2028-37 Capital Improvement Program budget, going over the city’s recommendation by $186.2 million. Taylor told the School Board that the funding is “essential to preventing further deterioration, address capacity challenges, and deliver learning environments that truly serve our students and community.”

News

Alexandria School Board says proposed raise will help recruit ‘higher quality’ members

By James Cullum

Published November 6, 2026 at 1:45PM

School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City School Board contends that a proposed salary increase will “likely lead to higher quality” candidates running for the board.

The School Board got an update from Alexandria City Public Schools staff on the proposed resolution, setting it up for a vote on Thursday, Dec. 3.

News

Does Alexandria need a jail? City seeks feedback in new survey

By James Cullum

Published November 5, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated November 5, 2026 at 5:12PM

The William G. Truesdale Alexandria Adult Detention Center (via Google Maps)

Alexandria has operated its jail for nearly 200 years, and now the city is asking residents whether it should stay in operation.

The city’s survey on whether to continue operating the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center or consider other options is available online until Nov. 20. Meanwhile, city staff have spent months working on the $200,000 jail study, with a goal of presenting City Council a report by the end of the year.

News

School funding formula overhaul, AI use guidance top ACPS requests to state legislators

By Emily Leayman

Published November 5, 2026 at 9:15AM

The Alexandria School Board at its meeting on Aug. 27, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Ahead of the next General Assembly session in January, Alexandria City Public Schools officials have some new and recurring priorities for state legislators on their minds.

Tonight (Thursday), the Alexandria City School Board will be asked to approve the legislative priorities for 2027. The item is on the board’s consent calendar for its 6 p.m. meeting.

News

Alexandria City Council to kick off budget talks Saturday in annual retreat

By James Cullum

Published November 4, 2026 at 1:45PM

The Alexandria City Council (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City Council will start its annual budget deliberations with a retreat in the West End on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Council will meet with city departments and get a revenue forecast, expenditure overview and other preliminary budget gap information. Alexandria City Public Schools, for instance, takes up nearly 30% of the city’s budget and faces a $17 million budget gap and is working toward a collective bargaining agreement the School Board wants approved before the next fiscal year starts on July 1, 2027.

News

Alexandria City School Board examines school conversion options to address middle school crowding

By Emily Leayman

Published November 2, 2026 at 2:45PM | Updated November 2, 2026 at 3:04PM

Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 School (via Google Maps)

The Alexandria City School Board is taking another look at options to relieve middle school capacity challenges.

The School Board’s Thursday (Oct. 29) work session compared the plan to convert Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 School into a middle school and Patrick Henry K-8 School into an elementary school with other alternatives. The School Board gave direction during the Capital Improvement Program process in December 2024 to convert the two K-8 schools.

News

DASH board mulls bus service cuts amid $2.4 million budget shortfall

By Emily Leayman

Published October 16, 2026 at 2:45PM

A DASH bus driver leaves the Braddock Road Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

As DASH Bus reels from a $3.3 million overspending error in the last fiscal year, the Alexandria transit agency is considering service changes to mitigate current budget challenges.

On Wednesday (Oct. 14), the DASH Board of Directors pre-authorized a package of service cuts. The changes are intended to address a $2.4 million shortfall in the current operating budget.

News

ACPS projects $17 million shortfall as budget talks start

By James Cullum

Published October 15, 2026 at 3:45PM

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

Alexandria City Public Schools faces a $17 million shortfall as it starts its 2028 fiscal year budget deliberations.

Dominic Turner, the school system’s chief financial officer, laid out a stark reality with rapidly rising expenditures on Wednesday night at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus.

News

‘This isn’t my first rodeo’: New ACPS Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt touts experience with hard choices

By James Cullum

Published October 13, 2026 at 3:45PM

Jharrett Bryantt was appointed as the next ACPS superintendent (via Alexandria City School Board meeting)

The incoming superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools has his work cut out for him.

Before starting work with ACPS on Feb. 1, 2027, Jharrett Bryantt will wrap up more than four years as superintendent for the Anchorage School District in Alaska by preparing a budget for his successor. In Alexandria, Bryantt will have had less than three weeks on the job before the Alexandria City School Board votes on the ACPS fiscal year 2028 combined funds budget, which will have been drawn up by Interim Superintendent Grace Taylor and ACPS staff.

News

Upgrades underway for permanent 200 block of King Street pedestrian zone

By Emily Leayman

Published July 29, 2026 at 1:45PM

200 block of King Street (staff photo by James Cullum)

After the permanent closure of the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic was approved last year, Alexandria is making upgrades to the block.

The Alexandria Department of Transportation & Environmental Services announced plans to add permanent improvements to the pedestrian block. The last city budget allocated $350,000 to make improvements to the 200 block pedestrian zone.

Around Town

Self-taught Hammond Middle School coder launches CalcHub with over 50 custom calculators

By Emily Leayman

Published July 22, 2026 at 2:45PM

Hammond Middle School student Emmanuel Adu-Wadier created CalcHub with more than 50 custom calculators (via Emmanuel Adu-Wadier)

An 11-year-old student at Hammond Middle School is behind a new resource covering everything from budget calculators to random password generators.

In July, Emmanuel Adu-Wadier launched CalcHub, a free website with more than 50 unique calculators covering finance and investment, mathematics, science, health and wellness, education and everyday tools. The rising seventh grader built the site using JavaScript, HTML, CSS and AI.