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VEA sets timeline for new Alexandria teachers union elections after invalidating results

By James Cullum
David Paladin-Fernandez speaks at a School Board meeting on June 11, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

After invalidating the officer elections for the local Alexandria teachers union, the Virginia Education Association has set a timeline for new elections that it will oversee later this month.

VEA President Carol Bauer informed Education Association of Alexandria (EAA) members of the new election timeline in an email on June 12. VEA’s decision to reject EAA’s union officer elections came after the elections were postponed from May 18 to May 21, and candidate for EAA president David Paladin-Fernandez was disqualified less than 12 hours before the elections.

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VEA invalidates Alexandria teachers union officer elections, will oversee new elections

By James Cullum
School buses on W. Braddock Road on Dec. 10, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) has invalidated last month’s officer elections held by the local Alexandria teachers union and will oversee a new election.

In an email sent this week to members of the Education Association of Alexandria (EAA), VEA said that it conducted a review of its Alexandria affiliate to see “whether the recent EAA officer election complied with the legal requirements established under the federal Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.” The news comes after an EAA’s union officer election was postponed from May 18 to May 21, and EAA presidential candidate David Paladin-Fernandez was disqualified less than 12 hours before the election.

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Staff, families warn against budget cuts as Alexandria School Board seeks to fill $5.6M gap

By Emily Leayman
The Alexandria City School Board at the budget public hearing on May 12, 2026 (via Alexandria City Public Schools)

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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ACPS board celebrates 2026 Principal and Teacher of the Year honorees

By James Cullum
(Left to right) ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt, ACPS Principal of the Year Jeanette Vinson, ACPS Teacher of the Year Deedra Robinson of Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School, and School Board Chair Michelle Rief, May 7, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City School Board honored the school system’s 2026 Principal and Teacher of the Year during its meeting last night (Thursday).

This year’s accolades were bestowed to Jeanette Vinson, principal of George Washington Middle School, and Deedra Robinson, an educator at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School. The School Board celebrated their dedication while recognizing teachers of the year from every public school in Alexandria.

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JUST IN: Jefferson-Houston teacher named N. Va. region’s teacher of the year

By James Cullum
Jefferson-Houston AVID teacher Deedra Robinson (with her students) was named Virginia Regional Teacher of the Year, April 8, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Deedra Robinson, a teacher at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School, has been named the Region 4 (Northern Virginia) Teacher of the Year.

The surprise announcement was made this afternoon (Wednesday) by Jenna Conway, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, in front of an assembly of students, family members and Alexandria City Public Schools administrators. Robinson teaches 48 students in the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program and plans to retire at the end of the school year.

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City Council scrutinizes funding gap for ACPS collective bargaining agreement

By James Cullum
Alexandria City Council Member Canek Aguirre (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Council members are pressing for more answers before they can fill a $5.65 million budget gap to pay for Alexandria City Public Schools’ first-ever collective bargaining agreement.

Earlier this month, the School Board approved its $12.7 million collective bargaining agreement with the Education Association of Alexandria, promising a step increase for all eligible employees (and an extra step for staff employed since 2010), a 2% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for licensed staff, a 3.5% COLA for support staff and a $2,000 longevity bonus for support staff.

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ACHS teacher wins grant to create learning experiences on the Declaration of Independence

By James Cullum
Alexandria City High School math teacher Essie Jones (staff photo by James Cullum)

A teacher at Alexandria City High School has been awarded a $5,000 grant to create a project commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year.

ACHS math teacher Essie Jones is one of 51 educators nationwide to be selected for a Teaching America250 Award. The grant will allow her to “design and implement an engaging learning experience that helps students explore the history of America’s founding and the ideals of the Declaration of Independence,” according to Alexandria City Public Schools.

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ACPS proposal to scale back Chinese and Latin language programs draw public concern

By Emily Leayman
Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Jan. 6, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

A proposal to scale back Chinese and Latin language classes at Alexandria City Public Schools have drawn public concern as school officials prepare to make funding decisions.

The Alexandria City School Board discussed a proposal that would remove two middle school Latin teachers and one Chinese teacher due to low enrollment during a Jan. 27 work session.

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Cesar Madison Tapia, a social studies teacher and political TikToker, joins City Council race

By James Cullum
Cesar Madison Tapia is running for the Alexandria City Council (courtesy photo, via Cesar Madison Tapia/Instagram)

Cesar Madison Tapia, a D.C. middle school teacher with viral political videos on TikTok, is running for Alexandria City Council.

Madison Tapia announced his candidacy on Friday on Instagram, and he had planned to discuss it during the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s now-canceled meeting tonight (Monday). The 26-year-old candidate teaches social studies at MacFarland Middle School in D.C. and has made hundreds of TikToks discussing politics and criticizing the Trump administration.

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Four candidates will appear on Tuesday’s primary ballot after Fairfax County teacher joins race

By Katie Taranto
Voters wait in line at the firehouse primary at Charles Houston Recreation Center in Old Town, Jan. 13, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Voters in tomorrow’s Democratic firehouse primary will have four candidates to choose from after Fairfax County Public Schools teacher Gregory Darrall entered the race this weekend.

Darrall, a self-described “proud progressive,” is a special education teacher and vice president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers. His name will appear on District 5 voters’ ballots tomorrow alongside City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike, former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera and defense attorney Chris Leibig.

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ACPS staff won’t get 1% market rate adjustment due to budget shortfall

By James Cullum
George Mason Elementary School Principal Christopher Finan with students on the first day of school, August 21, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Facing a $3.25 million budget shortfall, Alexandria City Public Schools is planning on saving a good chunk of it by not giving staff a 1% market rate adjustment.

According to a budget memo, the school board will review the following at a work session tonight (May 15). In the memo, ACPS staff laid out the following budget adjustments before the Board approves the final FY 2026 Combined Funds (Operating, Grants & Special Projects, and School Nutrition Services) Budget:

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