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The Alexandria City School Board gave the green light to its $401.18 million combined funds budget on Thursday night, capping months of public meetings and conversations during what Board Chair Michelle Rief described as “an extraordinarily difficult budget year.”

“This year’s budget development process occurred amid significant uncertainty,” Rief said before the budget’s passage, “including federal workforce reductions that disproportionately affect Alexandria, slowing City revenue growth, continued inflationary pressures, the complexity of negotiating our first collective bargaining agreement and the delayed adoption of the state budget.”


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Michael Burch, the ACHS lead administrator for operations and student support, has been hired as the next principal of Alexandria City High School.

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt made the announcement at tonight’s School Board meeting. With approximately 4,500 students and hundreds of staffers spread across four campuses, Burch will will lead the largest public high school in Virginia starting on July 1.


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The Alexandria City School Board held a work session yesterday (June 9) to decide adds and deletes from the budget before final approval, but the state budget impasse leaves future funding for compensation and other items unresolved.

Several of the 38 add/delete proposals that had at least four co-sponsors received support to be added into the Alexandria City Public Schools budget. The School Board will vote on the final budget tomorrow (June 11).


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One of Alexandria City High School’s largest graduating classes walked the stage at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena to get their diplomas on Saturday (June 6).

Outgoing Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said that the 962 graduates are walking into an increasingly complex world.


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Alexandria City High School seniors will embark on new beginnings after walking the stage at tomorrow’s graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena in Fairfax.

The doors open at the arena (4400 University Drive) at 8 a.m. and the student processional begins at 8:45 a.m. for the class that Alexandria City Public Schools calls “the Class that Changes Tomorrow.”


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Alexandria City Public Schools is officially searching for a new superintendent ahead of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt’s resignation on Oct. 1.

The search process launched Monday (June 1), about two months after Kay-Wyatt submitted her resignation. The Alexandria City School Board has brought on executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to lead the recruitment effort.


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Francis C. Hammond Middle School received a donation of 500 new backpacks today, which will be stuffed with school supplies for when students return for the 2026-2027 school year.

United Way National Capital Area and Enterprise Mobility donated the backpacks to the Title I school. United Way’s global headquarters are located in Alexandria.


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Concerns about budget cuts focused on student-facing positions and health care premium increases were raised at an Alexandria City School Board public hearing Tuesday (May 12) as the board seeks ways to fill a $5.6 million gap.

City Council’s $979.1 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget, adopted April 29, did not fill the $5.6 million gap the school system needs to fund its proposed $12.7 million collective bargaining agreement. After City Council’s budget approval, ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt presented a revised budget to the School Board on May 7.


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Alexandria City Public Schools staff are decrying the short notice given over an increase to their health insurance premiums, just a day before the month-long open enrollment period.

In an April 30 email, thousands of ACPS staff and retirees were told that health insurance premium rates will increase by 16% for UnitedHealthcare customers and by 8.9% for Kaiser Permanente customers, and that the changes will result in higher employee contributions. Employees who don’t go through the open enrollment process by 11:59 p.m. May 31 will lose their healthcare coverage.


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Alexandria City School Board Chair Michelle Rief says the school system will have to look toward its own resources, and not the city, to fill a $5.6 million funding gap.

In a blog post last week, Rief addressed City Council’s decision to not fill the $5.6 million gap the school system needs to fund its proposed $12.7 million collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Council approved the city’s $979.1 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget on April 29, after some councilmembers expressed surprise that the proposed CBA was not part of a multi-year agreement.


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Virginia’s top education officials were in Alexandria on Wednesday as part of a statewide listening tour on public education needs.

Secretary of Education Jeffery O. Smith was joined by Virginia Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway, Alexandria City School Board members and approximately 100 participants at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. House of Delegates Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring (D-4) attended an earlier roundtable with the officials.


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