The conduct and power of the Alexandria School Board was criticized by multiple City Council candidates on Wednesday night.
The hour-and-a-half-long debate was moderated by Washington Post reporter Teo Armus and hosted by the Potomac Yard and Taylor Run Civic Associations.
With less than three weeks until election day on Nov. 5, more than 15,000 Alexandria residents have cast early and by-mail ballots, according to the city’s Office of Voter Registration and Elections.
On the ballot this year are nominees for president and vice president, U.S. Senate, Congress, Alexandria’s mayor, City Council and School Board.
The staffing crisis at Alexandria City Public Schools has simmered, according to a recent presentation to the School Board.
The school system was significantly challenged by a shortfall of more than 150 positions in the 2023/2024 school year. Now ACPS is short 12 .75 teachers, 12 bus drivers and 23 central office staffers.
The Alexandria School Board approved the “Option A – Open Heart” concept for the modernization of George Mason Elementary School.
While the Board voted 7-2 for Option A, it was a contentious vote that saw two abstentions from Members Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi, who both said that the Board and ACPS staff did not do their “due diligence” in finding the best options to replace the 85-year-old school. They are also both running for City Council in November.
Thirty-eight Alexandria students were referred to court for alleged criminal activity in the second semester of the last school year, and there was also a significant uptick in the number of incidents requiring a police response.
That’s according to a new system-wide safety report that the School Board will receive on Thursday night.
An average of 4,800 speeding tickets are being issued every month in three Alexandria school zones, and the city’s school system will soon look for locations for future speed cameras.
The data was presented at a joint City Council/School Board Committee meeting at City Hall on Monday (Sept. 23).
Both of Alexandria’s middle schools and its two K-8 schools are overcrowded or approaching capacity, and facing an uptick in enrollment the School Board will soon consider seven models to ease the strain.
On Thursday night, the board will receive a comparative analysis assessing “grade-level reconfigurations” at Patrick Henry K-8 School (4643 Taney Avenue) and Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School (1501 Cameron Street).
Three conceptual designs for George Mason Elementary School will be unveiled Thursday and the School Board will have a little more than a month before endorsing a plan.
Early voting starts next week in Alexandria.
There are a number of voting options for those who can’t wait or make it to vote in-person at their home precinct on election day Nov. 5.
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.
It’s no secret that being a member of the Alexandria School Board is stressful work with little financial reward. Now, a number of School Board Members want that to change.
Outgoing Board Member Tammy Ignacio isn’t seeking reelection but wants future School Boards to get higher pay.
