Redistricting | ALXnow

Alexandria School board narrows down redistricting options

Published May 30, 2025 at 11:15AM

Redistricting Update: What We’ve Heard, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next

The Alexandria City Public Schools School Board has narrowed its redistricting options, eliminating the Circle Plan while advancing the Triangle 2 and Triangle 3 maps for elementary schools. The decision came during a six-hour Regular School Board meeting on May 29, setting the stage for a final vote on June 12.

For middle schools, the board will consider three options: Option B (minor changes), Option C (Quaker Lane), and Option E (a combination that includes specific grade 6-8 boundary lines for K-8 schools).

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: ACPS must act and do right by Patrick Henry

By Ruth H. Leiva

Published May 22, 2025 at 1:15PM

Redistricting Update: What We’ve Heard, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next

ALXnow has received the following Letter to the Editor from Ruth H. Leiva, a Landmark area resident and parent at Patrick Henry K-8 School. She writes to express deep concerns, shared by other families, teachers, and staff, regarding the ongoing Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) redistricting process and its potential impact on their West End community.

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed within this letter to the editor are those of the author and are not necessarily the views of ALXnow or its advertisers. Have an opinion that you’d like to share? Read more about speaking your mind through ALXnow Letter to the Editor here.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: ACPS redistricting adds disruption, not solutions

By ALXnow.com

Published May 14, 2025 at 6:00PM

Redistricting Update: What We’ve Heard, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next

As Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) considers a new middle school redistricting proposal, a local parent has voiced significant concerns regarding its potential impact on students and established neighborhood cohesion.

The following letter to the editor from Kate Hennigan, a mother of two Douglas MacArthur Elementary students and a long-time Alexandria resident, articulates anxieties about the plan’s effects on school communities and student stability, particularly in the wake of recent educational disruptions.

News

Residents voice concerns over school redistricting plans at first public hearing

By Ryan Belmore

Published May 12, 2025 at 8:00PM | Updated May 12, 2025 at 8:38PM

Public Hearing on Redistricting on May 12, 2025 (via ACPS Zoom)

Alexandria City Public Schools held its first public hearing on proposed redistricting changes on Monday (May 12).

The school board is considering three different plans to address capacity issues across the district.

News

TONIGHT: ACPS to conduct public hearing on redistricting proposals

By James Cullum

Published May 12, 2025 at 1:00PM | Updated May 12, 2025 at 8:44PM

Redistricting Update: What We’ve Heard, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next

After months of conversations, the Alexandria School Board will hold its first public hearing on proposed redistricting changes tonight (Monday, May 12).

Alexandria City Public Schools is proposing three different plans to handle increased capacity. The second and final public hearing on the matter will be held on June 5, and the Board is expected to make its final decision on June 12. The redistricting process is set to be fully implemented by August 2026.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Redistricting – What we’ve heard, what’s changing, and what comes next

By Kelly Carmichael Booz, Christopher Harris, and Ryan Reyna

Published May 8, 2025 at 6:00AM | Updated May 8, 2025 at 6:32AM

Redistricting Update: What We’ve Heard, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next

As the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) redistricting process nears its final stages, members of the ACPS Strategy and Accountability Committee: Kelly Carmichael Booz (District B), Christopher Harris (District C), and Ryan Reyna (District A), are providing an update on their progress, detailing how community feedback has been instrumental in refining new boundary proposals and shaping key policy decisions.

While acknowledging the complexities and tough trade-offs involved, the update emphasizes a more straightforward path forward to strengthen the school system with students at the center of every decision.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Stop the division of Cameron Station in ACPS redistricting plans

By Katie Bilek

Published April 21, 2025 at 10:00AM

Alexandria resident and Cameron Station mother Katie Bilek has submitted the following Letter to the Editor regarding the Alexandria City School Board’s proposed redistricting plans.

Bilek argues that the plans unfairly target her neighborhood, Cameron Station, by arbitrarily dividing the planned community and redirecting half of its children from their walkable neighborhood school, Tucker Elementary, to Patrick Henry K-8.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: School Redistricting should aim to minimize disruption on students, staff

By ALXnow.com

Published April 18, 2025 at 5:00AM | Updated April 21, 2025 at 1:01PM

Citing potential plans to move a small number of students from the newly rebuilt Douglas MacArthur Elementary – a school with projected capacity – into a school slated for swing space, a group of “Scroggins Triangle” parents contends in the following letter to the editor that minimizing student upheaval should be prioritized in the current ACPS redistricting process.

The letter is in response to our ongoing coverage of the ACPS redistricting efforts and process.

News

ACPS redistricting process advances with release of two new proposed boundary maps

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 11, 2025 at 1:00PM

The Red Plan. One of the proposed redistricting plans. (via ACPS)

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) has unveiled two new proposed boundary maps as part of its ongoing School Boundary Redistricting Process.

The Red and Indigo plans are now open for community review and input. A Green Plan, Blue Plan, and Purple Plan were also recently presented to the public.

News

Alexandria School Board reviews strategic plan, redistricting efforts

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 4, 2025 at 5:00AM | Updated April 11, 2025 at 12:40PM

ACPS School Board meets on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (via ACPS)

During its regular meeting Thursday (April 3), the Alexandria City School Board received presentations on the division’s draft strategic plan for 2025-2030 and updates on the ongoing redistricting process.

The meeting began with a recognition of five Alexandria City High School students who received prestigious Posse Foundation and QuestBridge scholarships. Delegate Alfonso Lopez presented proclamations from the Virginia General Assembly honoring the students.

News

ACPS presents draft school boundary redistricting options to the public

By Ryan Belmore

Published March 18, 2025 at 8:24PM | Updated April 11, 2025 at 12:41PM

School Board member Christopher Harris (via ACPS)

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) held its first community meeting on school boundary redistricting Tuesday evening. Three draft boundary maps were presented to address school capacity and utilization issues across the district.

More than 300 individuals participated online, with dozens more attending in person at Alexandria City High School, as district officials and consultants explained the redistricting process that began in July 2023.