There’s a new member of the Alexandria School Board. Tim Beaty, the retired former global strategies director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, was sworn into office on Thursday night.

Beaty won a special election on Jan. 9 to fill the seat vacated by former School Board Member Willie Bailey. He will fill the remaining 11 months of Bailey’s term before the next School Board is sworn into office in January 2025. During that time, he said that he wants to help Alexandria City Public Schools edge closer to a collective bargaining agreement with staff.

“I am truly honored to serve on the Alexandria City School Board,” Beaty said in a release. “I look forward to bringing that experience to the division as we move forward with collective bargaining to enhance labor-management relationships between employees and the division.”

Beaty moved to Alexandria a decade ago with his wife, who is a principal at a Fairfax County Elementary School. He retired two years ago, and has been a substitute teacher at two ACPS elementary schools since then.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Beaty to serve on our School Board,” said School Board Chair Michelle Rief, who also represents District A. “Mr. Beaty has not only contributed directly to ACPS as a substitute teacher but the greater Alexandria community as well, volunteering and serving in various capacities throughout the city.”

After years in development, the School Board will vote Thursday night on a new logo for Alexandria City Public Schools, and Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt is recommending Logo 1, according to a staff presentation.

“After careful consideration by the ACPS leadership team and consideration of the community input, the superintendent recommends that the School Board accept Logo 1 as the new logo and brand to represent Alexandria City Public Schools,” ACPS said in the presentation. “Some logo elements may be refined when finalizing the final logo version.”

The preferred option depicts the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which was initially designed to resemble the lighthouse in ancient Alexandria, Egypt.

“The new logo incorporates the George Washington Masonic National Memorial which was inspired by the lighthouse of ancient Alexandria, Egypt, and designed to reflect the lighthouse in Ostia, Rome,” said ACPS. “The idea was to spread knowledge, which is symbolized by light, a fitting nod to ACPS. The design also incorporates the water that surrounds Alexandria and translates into a pencil to symbolize learning at the tip of the shield.”

The second option combines a school house with a person, with shaded pieces coming together to form the whole student, according to ACPS.

The last time ACPS tried to get their logo changed was in 2022, when the School Board voted 7-2 in denial of several options.

ACPS says that 362 responses from an online forum were important in Kay-Wyatt’s endorsement of Logo 1, along with “careful” consideration by ACPS leadership. The approved logo will be effective following approval by the School Board and implemented throughout 2024.

The forum responses:

Logo 1

• 55.5% believe it represents ACPS
• 30% believe it does not represent ACPS
• 14.4% somewhat believe it represents ACPS
• 64.4% believe it has image appeal
• 44.5% believe it has color appeal
• 27.1% believe it has no appeal

Logo 2

• 16.3% believe it represents ACPS
• 57.2% believe it does not represent ACPS
• 26.5% believe it somewhat represents ACPS
• 20.2% believe it has image appeal
• 30.4% believe it has color appeal
• 61.3% believe it has no appeal

As of Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 16), the ACPS Facebook post on the logos had more than 130 comments, many of which are negative. Many online commenters wrote that the logos represent misplaced priorities by a school system experiencing a staffing crisis.

(Updated at 11:30 p.m.) Tim Beaty, the retired former global strategies director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, was declared the winner in tonight’s special election for the open School Board District A seat. He defeated Gina Baum, an Alexandria City Public Schools parent and former longtime member of the city’s Park and Recreation Commission, and will be sworn into office next week.

Beaty won the election 1,270 votes (56%) to Baum’s 962 votes (43%), and 5.5% of the registered voters in District A (41,335 voters) cast ballots on this rainy Tuesday. District A includes Old Town, Del Ray, Potomac Yard and Arlandria. The results will be certified in the Alexandria Voter Registrar’s office near City Hall on Friday.

“I’m looking forward to getting to work,” Beaty told ALXnow. “I’m very grateful for everyone who endorsed me, from the two other School Board Members in District A, to the teachers union, four City Council Members and Sheriff Sean Casey. The endorsements were a reflection of some good friendships and relationships that I’ve been lucky to be involved with over the last few years.”

Baum called Beaty to concede at around 9:15 p.m.

The District A seat became available in late November when School Board Member Willie Bailey abruptly resigned, prompting the Alexandria Circuit Court to order the special election for Jan. 9. Beaty will serve out the remaining 11 months of Bailey’s term before the next School Board is sworn into office in January 2025.

Baum told ALXnow that having the month of December to campaign for political office was a daunting challenge.

“I think I started off slow, and started to gain traction with the (online candidate) forums when people heard my thoughts about improving schools, academic achievement and restoring teacher’s steps,” she said. “Hopefully that will influence the current budget process. The teachers really got the short end of the stick last year with their steps being frozen. Falls Church City is offering teachers step increases and a 3.5 COLA adjustment for an average 6% increase on top of their higher pay scale. ACPS leadership is not willing to compete at that level or provide that to our educators, who quite frankly deserve it.”

Beaty’s been a substitute teacher at two ACPS elementary schools since his retirement from the Teamsters two years ago, and will have to quit earning an ACPS paycheck in order to be a School Board member. He was previously global strategies director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and says that he wants to help the school system, get closer to a collective bargaining agreement with ACPS staff. He’s lived in Alexandria for a decade, has six grown children and is married to a Fairfax County Public Schools elementary school principal.

“I would really like to push hard in the direction of getting union recognition and collective bargaining much further along than it is now,” said Beaty. “I would also really like to make myself particularly available to the efforts that the school system is making with the Latino community so that they can take full advantage of the system in educating students.

Beaty’s seat, along with the eight other school board seats, is up for grabs in the Nov. 5 general election. Beaty says he will decide in the next few months whether he wants to run for the same office in November and complete a three-year term.

There’s less than a week to go until the Jan. 9 special election for Alexandria’s open District A School Board seat, and things are getting interesting.

With a focus on helping Alexandria City Public Schools craft a collective bargaining agreement with staff, retired labor leader Tim Beaty has secured key endorsements from the two other School Board Members in District A — Board Chair Michelle Rief and Jacinta Greene, as well as from City Council Members Canek Aguirre and Kirk McPike, Sheriff Sean Casey, NOVA Labor and the Education Association of Alexandria teachers union.

His opponent Gina Baum, a former longtime member of the city’s Park and Recreation Commission has positioned herself as a candidate willing to fight with her colleagues on the dais and to ask City Council to pony up millions to restore step increases to teachers.

The candidates have had a few notable public appearances since the seat opened up in November. In a Liberally Social podcast moderated by Alexandria Democratic Committee Chair Sandy Marks on Dec. 26, Baum expressed concern over a perceived lack of public discourse between the Board and the public, and questioned whether School Board Members are operating within their guidelines by when going into closed session during meetings. They also spoke Tuesday at an Alexandria Democratic Committee meeting, and last night in an Alexandria PTA Council forum.

“I think one of the oddities with this board as opposed to some of the other boards I’ve served on in the city is that we on other boards actually fight with each other,” Baum said on the podcast.  “I’m finding with this board for whatever reason, there seems to be a lack of open public discourse in our community, I believe feels like that, that they’re hiding things from us, right and they’re not being transparent. “

Beaty, on the other hand, positioned himself as a Spanish-speaking bridge-builder who wants to improve relations with non-English speaking families within the school system.

“I think we have to help parents understand what their kids are going through,” Beaty said. “I think I can I can be part of a link to do that.”

Beaty’s been a substitute teacher at two ACPS elementary schools for the last two years, and was previously global strategies director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He says that he has 40 years of collective bargaining experience and that a good agreement will result in staff retention.

“My experience throughout my life is that a strong relationship between labor and management does a lot of good for the efficiency of any institution where it exists,” he said in the podcast. I think it’s important that we recognize our teachers by letting them form a union, by encouraging them to form a union and to encourage this process of collective bargaining, leading to a contract. I think it’ll attract it’ll help maintain our current staff.”

Baum is a managing broker with Keller Williams Metro Center. She has not been endorsed by any groups, but has gotten the endorsement of a number of individuals, including former Mayor Bill Euille, and one current public official — City Council Member John Taylor Chapman. If elected, Baum said she would get the support of her colleagues to ask City Council to find upward of $8 million to solve a staffing crisis by restoring step increases for teachers.

“I would suggest that (ACPS Superintendent) Dr. Kay-Wyatt and the School Board write to Council and say, ‘We need this amount of money because we have to restore teacher’s steps,'” Baum said on the podcast. “They deserve their salary increases. They deserve the cost of living increases, and it’s a political year. All of our council members are going to be running a campaign. We have the campaign for the mayor happening. I think if we go to them and say this is for our teachers, they will, in fact, find the money.”

Baum said that the proposal is procedurally possible, drawing criticism one Council expert, who called it a “fairy tale.”

“Sure, it’s possible,” said the source, who spoke on the condition on anonymity. “I mean, anything is procedurally possible. The reality is a completely different thing. All you have to do is look at the budget right now, and that the school system had to take $50 million out of the Capital Improvement Program budget. How are we going to find the $8 million for teachers? Don’t get me wrong, it’s an admirable thing to do, but you don’t just find money out of the blue and do this overnight. Where you realistically find it is within the collective bargaining process.”

ACPS approved funds to develop an official ACPS plan and policy for collective bargaining with employees in the current budget.

The District A seat became available when School Board Member Willie Bailey abruptly resigned, prompting the Alexandria Circuit Court to order the special election for Jan. 9. The winner will serve out the remaining 11 months of Bailey’s term before the next School Board is sworn into office in January 2025. It also means that the seat, along with the eight other school board seats, is up for grabs in the Nov. 5 general election.

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) The field of candidates is getting crowded in Alexandria’s Democratic primary for City Council.

The list of nine candidates includes four incumbents, two School Board Members, two community leaders and a former magistrate, who, if elected would be the first transgender City Council member.

Two City Council slots (out of six) are up for grabs since Vice Mayor Amy Jackson and Council Member Alyia Gaskins are vacating their seats in their quests to replace outgoing Mayor Justin Wilson. Nine candidates have announced their intention to run, and six of them spoke last night at the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s monthly meeting.

City Council Members John Taylor Chapman, Sarah Bagley and Kirk McPike announced their intention to run last night, and Councilman Canek Aguirre will be announcing his candidacy in the coming days, he told ALXnow. Alexandria School Board Members Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi are also running, as are West End Business Association President James Lewis, Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Resident Association President Kevin Harris and former Alexandria magistrate Charlotte Scherer.

Chapman, an Alexandria native, is seeking a fifth three-year term, making him the senior candidate running in the race.

“I’m going to be, hopefully, one of those individuals that can bring the experience of the last 11 years with the City Council to bear as we hopefully start a new tour with council members,” Chapman said. ” We’ve been through a lot, through recession, we’ve been through a pandemic, we’ve been through changes in state and federal leadership that, frankly, desire to take our city backward. And it’s this local part of the energy we have here that says to state changes and federal changes, ‘We need to have more.'”

Bagley is seeking her second term, and said that she’s been effective over the last three years.

“What I’m really proud of is in our first few years on council, we created an Office of Climate Action that cost $1.8 million,” she said. “We got a green business program now that’s being promoted.”

McPike is also seeking his second term in office and said that it wasn’t easy growing up gay in Texas, but that he found his home in Alexandria.

“We need to take the next step to our green building program and not only focus on what we’re building, but what we’ve already built, and how can we reduce the carbon emissions from our current buildings and infrastructure,” he said. “We need to take a real hard look at Alexandria’s long-term budget to make sure that we’re balancing our revenues, addressing our expenses so that we can continue to be a city that is prosperous, and most importantly, continue to fully fund the budget for Alexandria City Public Schools.”

Elnoubi was uncontested in his election to the School Board in 2021. That year, he decided against a City Council campaign and decided instead to run for the open District C slot.

“As your school board member, I’ve championed and supported several initiatives, such as pay increases for our educators, secured additional funding for additional teachers to adjust class sizes, added psychologists to address mental health,” he said. “We passed a resolution for 15 mile-an-hour school zones, and we’ve protected this community from (Republican Virginia Gov.) Glenn Youngkin, when we beat him in court during the height of the pandemic.”

Greene, who was elected to the School Board in 2018, did not announce on Tuesday night, and sent ALXnow the following statement: “As a proud Alexandrian for the past 21 years, an Alexandria School Board Member and a dedicated public servant, I am excited to announce my intent to run for the Alexandria City Council.”

Lewis said that the city needs to go beyond the Zoning for Housing initiative Council recently passed in order to continue increasing its stock of affordable housing.

“We all live in Alexandria because it’s a great city,” Lewis said. “But as with any place, we know that there are challenges, and I think front of mind for everyone is our affordable housing challenges. Council has taken some significant steps to get us there, but we all know that those are just steps… What’s really important to me personally, though, is also looking not just at affordable housing, but affordable homeownership to help families get out of the rat trap, build generational wealth and put roots down in this city.”

Scherer, a retired attorney and former Alexandria magistrate, is running her first campaign. If elected, she would be the first transgender member of Alexandria’s City Council. She said that she wants to build upon the city’s Zoning for Housing initiative, and that she’s a fast learner.

“I’m running to continue my journey of service and advocacy for the community I call home,” she said. “I’m dedicated to improving housing affordability, making substantial investments in our infrastructure and schools, extending transportation options for better accessibility, saving Metro first, and enhancing water and sewer management to protect our environment.”

Harris said that he will launch his campaign later this month.

“As a proud servant of Alexandria with a track record of working to improve the quality of life of it’s citizens and of working to help our city realize it’s potential, I’m excited about the opportunity to partner with and serve the citizens of our city at another level,” he said. “It’s definitely my intention to run for City Council. We will be making our official announcement and launch this month.”

The filing deadline for candidates is in late March and the Democratic Primary is on June 18.

A group of women Alexandria women are on a mission to ensure no candidate is just a name on a ballot in Alexandria.

The Liberally Social podcast, started back in 2021 to explore the 13 candidates running for City Council, has come together again to profile two candidates who could shape policy in Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).

In the mix of Potomac Yard arena news and the holidays, the School Board special election to replace School Board Member Willie Bailey has flown a little under the radar.

Real estate agent and former Parks and Recreation commissioner Gina Baum is running against Tim Beaty, a substitute teacher in ACPS and former Global Strategies Director at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The podcast interviewed both candidates in 30-minute profiles posted earlier this week.

Liberally Social has a rotating group of hosts, but the school board candidates were interviewed by Alexandria Democratic Committee chair Sandy Marks, Marta Schantz, a senior vice president at the Urban Land Institute, Kristen Weber, a senior director at the National Center for Youth Law, and Anh Phan, former outreach representative for Sen. Mark Warner.

“We’ve got two very different candidates on the ballot,” said Schantz. “From what I’ve gleaned, they’d engage in school board members in different ways, with different priorities and passions and a different way of doing business. That’s one big takeaway from what I’ve learned.”

The podcast doesn’t endorse candidates and asks every candidate the same questions, from personal questions to thoughts on specific topics affecting Alexandria.

“It’s very egalitarian, it’s the same prompt, and we just listen,” Schantz said. “Our listeners are smart… We try not to poke holes or be too ‘gotcha’, we let the candidates speak for themselves.”

“And sometimes we say ‘they just said that,'” Phan said. “Invariably, when it gets published, when [listeners] hear what outside the box things get said, it gets noticed.”

Even as one election nears on Jan. 9, another significant election looms later this year. Mayor Justin Wilson is not seeking reelection and Vice Mayor Amy Jackson and City Council Alyia Gaskins have both thrown their hats into the ring to replace Wilson.

Additionally, Jackson and Gaskins running for Mayor leaves two empty seats on the City Council that will be up for grabs.

“There’s so much speculation about the City Council election,” said Schantz.

“Everybody is running,” Marks joked, “and nobody is running.”

Marks said while the Potomac Yard is one of the most talked about issues, she’s hopeful that election discourse can focus on other fundamental issues.

“People want to talk about the arena because it’s feisty, but there are a lot of other things happening in the city,” Marks said.

Schantz said she hopes that election discourse can address climate change and equity issues affecting the city. While both are national and international issues, Schantz said there’s much that elected leaders can do at a local level.

“We act where we have the influence,” Schantz said. “Everyone has an impact to make on climate change, on equity, on being a good human. There are so many things you can do locally. If everyone sat in a dark corner and said ‘no one makes a difference,’ then no one would do anything.”

Marks said she hopes the podcast helps Alexandrians get to know more about their candidates and helps humanize them for the electorate.

“It started with ‘how can we do voter education?'” Marks said. “Because there are so many candidates, it’s difficult to do a deep dive with each one, so you get charts with checkboxes, yes or no on specific issues.”

Marks also said she hopes the podcast helps understand that the city’s elected leaders are people too. Marks said, particularly since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, she’s seen an uptick in online conspiracy theories, even at a local level.

“Getting to know them personally dispels some of that,” Marks said. “It’s about inoculating the social electorate against fear.”

Phan said that while online interactions have gotten more polarized, she gets some hope from the fact that returning to in-person human interactions has helped combat some of the vitriol.

“This really helps dispel some of that cynicism that might occur when you talk about electoral politics,” Phan said. “I mean, you have to be a little ‘called to it’ to be running for public office. That’s not something that should be squashed. The podcast gets you to know them as a human person, reinforcing the idea that they are trying to do something in the community. That makes me feel better; more idealistic.”

Image via Democratic Social Club/Facebook

Early voting is underway for a School Board District A special election following School Board Member Willie Bailey’s abrupt resignation.

The election sees real estate agent and former Parks and Recreation commissioner Gina Baum square off against Tim Beaty, an Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) substitute teacher and former Global Strategies Director at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper Theogony interviewed both candidates on issues like school safety and substance abuse issues in ACPS.

Baum told Theogony that teacher vacancies are the most important issue facing ACPS and needs to be addressed immediately, with overcrowded classrooms having a detrimental impact on students’ education.

Beaty previously told ALXnow that one of his main goals on the School Board would be putting his experience to use in helping ACPS navigate collective bargaining.

District A includes Old Town, Del Ray, Potomac Yard and Arlandria.

The deadline to vote early is Saturday, Jan. 6, with the special election being held on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Voters can cast their ballot early in person at the Office of Voter Registration & Elections (132 N. Royal Street).

Alexandria City Public Schools has unveiled two new logos, both of which are getting skewered by parents on social media.

ACPS is asking students, families and staff to weigh in on the two options for “consideration in the superintendent’s final recommendation” by Dec. 18. Last year’s effort to redesign the logo were denied 7-2 by the School Board.

“The two logo options were created to represent the mission, vision and core values of our diverse ACPS community in an updated design reflective of ACPS’ Strategic Plan goals, including an equitable education for all here in our beautiful City of Alexandria,” ACPS said.

The first option depicts the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which was initially designed to resemble the lighthouse in ancient Alexandria, Egypt.

“The design also incorporates the water that surrounds Alexandria and translates into a pencil to symbolize learning at the tip of the shield,” ACPS said.

The second option combines a school house with a person, with shaded pieces coming together to form the whole student, according to ACPS.

No ACPS staff or School Board Members commented online, however School Board District A Candidate Gina Baum said online that she couldn’t elaborate on the designs.

“I can’t – they both suck,” Baum wrote on Facebook.

As of Monday morning, the ACPS Facebook post on the logos had more than 80 comments, most of which were negative. Many online commenters wrote that the logos represent misplaced priorities by a school system experiencing a staffing crisis.

“Gosh I’m so glad we are focusing energy on a new logo when we don’t have teachers for core classes,” wrote one commenter. “Read the room, ACPS.”

We are redesigning the ACPS logo and invite you to share your input. The two logo options were created to represent the mission, vision and core values of our diverse ACPS community in an updated design reflective of ACPS’ Strategic Plan goals. https://t.co/A1L3KwxeSx

— Alexandria City Public Schools (@ACPSk12) December 9, 2023

A longtime city commissioner and a retired labor leader are facing off in the special election for Alexandria’s School Board District A seat, and both want to improve teacher retention and board transparency.

Candidates Gina Baum and Tim Beaty have vastly different backgrounds and strengths.

Baum is a managing broker with Keller Williams Metro Center, and until 2022 served 13 years as a commissioner (five years as chair) on the city’s Park and Recreation Commission. More than a decade ago, she was also a founding member of the Waterfront4All group, supporting the city’s plan to redevelop the waterfront and later spent 10 years on the Waterfront Commission. She has a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Clark University.

“I know how the city and the system work,” Baum told ALXnow. “I think one of the reasons why I want to run is because I’ve been highly involved with the school system with my children. Plus, I’ve been taking an active role in watching school board meetings and seeing what’s happening. And I really think I can contribute in a way that would be helpful to both the school board or community and ACPS teachers and administrators. I mean, that’s really the bottom line.”

Beaty retired two years ago as the global strategies director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, after which he became a substitute teacher at two Alexandria elementary schools. He’s got an economics degree from the University of Notre Dame, is the father of three grown children and says the school system can benefit from his decades of experience hammering out collective bargaining agreements with the Teamsters.

“I do think that if we complete that process and we get a good collective bargaining agreement that we’re likely to attract new employees,” Beaty said. “I think I can help with that. I’ll be an advocate for that. It’s what I’ve been doing for the last 40 years in my professional life, so I think I could assist in making that happen.”

Last month, District A School Board Member Willie Bailey abruptly resigned, prompting the Alexandria Circuit Court to order a special election for Jan. 9. The winner of the election will serve out the remaining 11 months of Bailey’s term before the next School Board is sworn into office in January 2025, following the November 2024 general election.

A third likely candidate, Bill Campbell, opted to not file his candidacy by the filing deadline on Tuesday, and said that he’s finished running for office. Campbell was elected to the School Board in 2012, got reelected in 2015, but lost reelection in 2018 and a City Council bid in 2021.

“I’m out of the political game completely,” Campbell said. “But this next year, this board has a number of important things they gotta look at, like redistricting, collective bargaining, looking at the way that we’ve set up the CIP (Capital Improvement Program) in terms of refurbishing schools, and then the programming at the new high school building — all difficult decisions that they’re gonna have to deal with in the next next year. It will be really interesting to watch.”

On School Board transparency

Baum says that the Alexandria School Board seems paralyzed and a lack of public discourse and systematic efforts to not speak to the media have led to a lack of transparency.

“I’m sure you recall this, but everyone on the Board was asked not to speak to the media,” she said. “For whatever reason, I feel like that really translated into not speaking at all. I feel like there’s some sort of odd paralysis happening, where the School Board members are hesitant to actually speak out about their concerns or their opinions.”

Baum continued, “It’s very weird to me because I was part of that Waterfront Plan and on the Waterfront Commission, and there were times we fought like cats and dogs, but we got the job done. So, when I see a School Board not talking, I understand why that concerns the public, and I’m really hoping that I can close that divide. The school board really needs to focus more on working for the public and not for the administration.”

Beaty also said that he would talk to members of the media as a School Board member.

“It’s voters that decide who’s going to be on the School Board,” Beaty said. “School Board members need to be accountable to the people that then elect them. To the extent that it’s an issue, and I think it’s an issue a little bit, I do think that school board members need to have the freedom to be able to get out and communicate with the voters that elected them, with the whole education community and with the media.”

On staffing and test scores

ACPS is also undergoing a staffing crisis with more than 100 vacant positions systemwide.

Baum said Alexandria teachers should get paid the highest in the region.

“We are entrusting them with the most valuable resource of our children,” Baum said. “If we are not compensating them properly, it’s just a disgrace to me. One of the things that is very important to me is teacher retention and making sure we’re paying them well. I want to be the highest in the area for teacher salaries and I think given the budget that we have at ACPS, certainly we should be able to do that.”

Beaty said that teachers need to understand their situations at the collective bargaining table.

“What’s going on with these step increases?” he said. “There needs to be a fair grievance procedure so that if people feel like they’ve been wronged, that there’s a transparent, clear and honest process to address people’s concerns in a real way… We’ve got to have a real clear understanding about what the limitations of the budget are. And the school board is also got to have a good understanding about why it is that we’re losing teachers.”

Baum said that the school system needs new programs to improve the school systems underperforming standardized test scores.

“We’ve all heard that our scores are down, and that there’s a huge gap from COVID in learning,” she said. “I think we have to put achievement at the top of our concerns. And hopefully find some programs that will help close that gap. Ones that that have measurable results that we could implement quickly.”

Beaty said that it’s important educators feel valued.

“I’m amazed at what a strong, well-trained teacher can do to get a group of rowdy kids to calm down and get focused on a task and begin to learn,” he said. “I just find it amazing to watch good teachers do what they do.”

District A includes the following precincts:

• 101 — Old Town North, formerly Ladrey
• 102  — City Hall
• 103 — Lyles Crouuch School
• 104 — Durant Center
• 105 — Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center
• 106 — Cora Kelly — Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center
• 107 — Mount Vernon Recreation Center
• 108 — George Washington Middle School
• 109 — Alexandria Fire Department headquarters
• 110 — Charles Houston Recreation Center
• 111 — Potomac Yard

(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) By the time this story is published, candidates will have just an hour-and-a-half to file the necessary paperwork to run in the Jan. 9 special election to fill the vacant seat on the Alexandria School Board.

The deadline is 5 p.m. to file the following with the city’s Office of Voter Registration & Elections:

• Declaration of Candidacy
• Candidate Petitions (with 125 signatures of qualified voters from School Board, District A)
• Certificate of Candidate Qualification
• Statement of Economic Interests
• Statement of Organization

So far, Gina Baum and Tim Beaty have filed paperwork to run for the open seat, according to Angie Turner, the city’s registrar of voters.

Baum is a managing broker with Keller Williams Metro Center, according to her LinkedIn page. As part of her filing, she submitted 150 signatures, a campaign email address and a campaign website, the latter of which hasn’t yet been set up.

Last month, District A School Board Member Willie Bailey abruptly resigned, prompting the Alexandria Circuit Court to order a special election for Jan. 9. The winner of the election will serve out the remaining 11 months of Bailey’s term before the next School Board is sworn into office in January 2025, following the November 2024 general election.

There are at least two other interested candidates collecting signatures — former School Board Member Bill Campbell and retired labor leader Tim Beaty.

Campbell was elected to the School Board in 2012 and reelected in 2015, but lost his reelection bid in 2018. He also lost a 2021 City Council bid, and while he said that he has collected enough signatures to run, Campbell told ALXnow that he’s weighing family obligations before taking the plunge and running for office again.

“I have a few hours left to make that decision,” Campbell said.

Beaty, the former global strategies director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, addressed the Alexandria Democratic Committee at its monthly meeting on Monday night. He said that he’s been a city resident for nine years, and has been a precinct captain at Cora Kelly School, and that his main goal would be to help ACPS in its collective bargaining efforts with staff.

“I think the process of collective bargaining should be able to help us with retention of too many teachers that are leaving the system because the workers will be represented in the collective bargaining negotiation,” Beaty said, “And to be able to attract more folks with hopefully through collective bargaining process better wages, benefits and working conditions.”