Alexandria School Board members sternly responded to recent criticism leveled at the Board and school system staff.
Without singling out the offending School Board member by name, Board Chair Michelle Rief, Vice Chair Kelly Carmichael Booz and Member Christopher Harris on Thursday night admonished Board Member Abdel Elnoubi for his comments at a City Council candidate debate on Oct. 16.
With nine candidates running for nine spots, there’s no contest in the upcoming Alexandria School Board elections. Still, residents have a chance to meet the incumbents and newcomers in a series of meet-and-greets.
The first of these meet-and-greets with the public will be held by District A candidates on Saturday, Aug. 10 with School Board Chair Michelle Rief, Board Member Tim Beaty and Ryan Reyna.
Alexandria City Public Schools will give “thoughtful consideration and review” in upcoming meetings on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s recent executive order banning cell phones in public schools.
Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 earlier this week, directing the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to create guidance for school systems across the state to “adopt local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free education.”
There’s 138 days until the Nov. 5 election, and there are just enough candidates running for an uncontested School Board election.
There are two vacancies in this election cycle after School Board Members Abdel Elnoubi and Jacinta Greene won their Democratic nominations for City Council on June 18. Additionally, two Board Members are not running for reelection, former Board Chair Meagan Alderton in District C, and Tammy Ignacio in District B.
After two years under construction, city leaders cut the ribbon today on Alexandria City High School’s new Minnie Howard Campus.
The $190 million project for the 343,000-square-foot, five-story satellite campus can hold up to 1,600 students — double the capacity of its 1950’s-era predecessor. The building will be home to six career and technical education academies, which administrators say will allow students to pursue their interests.
The Alexandria School Board unanimously approved a collective bargaining resolution Thursday night, setting the ground rules for how the school system will negotiate with staff on wages and benefits.
Dawn Lucas, president of the Education Association of Alexandria, was pleased with a number of changes that she recommended the Board make to the proposed resolution.
Alexandria City High School English teacher Eva Irwin was at a loss for words when her name was called and the packed gymnasium erupted in applause.
This afternoon at a school assembly, Irwin was recognized as a top-tier teacher and surprised with the $25,000 Milken Educator Award.
The Alexandria School Board made significant changes to its proposed collective bargaining agreement resolution with staff on Thursday night.
In a work session that ran until nearly midnight, the Board amended the 17-page draft resolution, which sets the rules for negotiations on a three-year agreement. The draft resolution reveals a slow rollout for the Alexandria City Public Schools bargaining process that will only reach full fruition in future negotiations, with the school system currently focusing on reaching an eventual collective bargaining agreement on six yet-to-be-determined topics with a portion of employees.
Alexandria School Board Members went all-in Wednesday night in asking City Council to fund its budget by approving a massive tax increase.
Mayor Justin Wilson told the Board at a budget work session on Wednesday night that its fiscal year 2025 $384.4 million combined funds budget request would result in a historic tax increase. The Board, in turn, said that the funding could stem the school system’s staffing crisis.
Alexandria’s annual George Washington Birthday Parade brought the usual pomp and circumstance befitting the country’s first president.
This year’s parade marshals were the recipients of the prestigious Living Legends of Alexandria award. The theme of this year’s parade was “George Washington: Alexandria’s Living Legend.”
Alexandria City Public Schools officials want to reach a collective bargaining agreement by the end of this year, and a resolution to approve the process will be presented to the School Board next week.
The draft collective bargaining resolution was reviewed last Thursday by the Board’s Collective Bargaining Committee, and Board Chair Michelle Rief said that the school system has a goal of coming to an agreement with staff by the end of this year. Such a deadline means that any major changes to staff benefits and compensation would be realized with next year’s passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
