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Alexandria teachers union president election heading to runoff

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

After failing to secure 50% of votes from members, the top two candidates running for president of the Alexandria teachers union are headed to a runoff.

The election was overseen by the Virginia Education Association after it invalidated the results of the Education Association of Alexandria’s officer elections in May. Votes for union officers and building representatives were collected online on June 29 and 30. EAA presidential candidate David Paladin-Fernandez got 190 votes (47%), followed by 115 votes (29%) for Christina Bohringer and 96 votes for Madeline Wingate Alfonso (24%).

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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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Alexandria teachers union candidate disqualified less than 12 hours before officer elections

By James Cullum
A second grade classroom at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School (staff photo by James Cullum)

A candidate for president of the Education Association of Alexandria was informed via Zoom that he was disqualified from the race less than 12 hours before the union’s officer elections, and that there was “not time” to go through a democratic process, according to audio obtained by ALXnow.

On Wednesday night (May 20), ACPS middle school teacher David Paladin-Fernandez was informed of his disqualification from the union president race. All candidates running in the election were on the call. Andrea Hill, chair of the EAA Credentials/Election Committee, told the candidates she had conducted an investigation and that the union’s executive committee had voted to disqualify Paladin-Fernandez.

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Alleged ‘campaign violations’ behind delay of Alexandria teachers union officer elections

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

The Education Association of Alexandria’s upcoming officer elections were postponed this week due to alleged campaign or election violations, according to the union’s communications to members.

The EAA broadly cited campaign or election violations in a Sunday (May 17) email update to its members on officer elections. Andrea Hill, chair of the EAA Credentials/Election Committee, told members the virtual elections — originally scheduled from Monday (May 18) to Wednesday (May 20) — would be postponed to Thursday (May 21) and Friday (May 22). Hill said an investigation into the allegations had taken place.

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Alexandria’s professional employees agree to unionize in near-unanimous vote

By James Cullum
A City of Alexandria vehicle (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s professional employees have officially voted to unionize.

On Tuesday, the city’s professional employees voted 155-1 in favor of unionizing with AFSCME Council 20, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. With significant support, the vote “marks 5 of 5 eligible Alexandria bargaining units to file and win their union representation elections since 2021,” according to a release from AFSCME Council 20.

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City Council backs union agreements with police, fire and administrative employees

By James Cullum
Alexandria Police lights (staff photo by James Cullum)

City Council has committed funding for three collective bargaining agreements with unions representing the Alexandria Police and Fire Departments and the city’s administrative and technical employees.

Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the three-year agreements on wages, benefits and work hours, which are now set to go into effect on July 1. The agreements include a reduction from 49 to 46 weekly work hours for AFD personnel, “significant” pay increases for police officers, and structured raises and merit increases for administrative and technical employees.

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Alexandria City Council ends impasse, approving police union’s collective bargaining salary increase

By James Cullum
Dozens of Alexandria Police Department officers attended City Council's public hearing on collective bargaining with the department's union on Tuesday night, Dec. 9, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City Council ended the collective bargaining impasse regarding three outstanding issues between the Alexandria Police Department’s union and the city late last night (Tuesday).

In a meeting at City Hall that lasted until 11:30 p.m., Council decided in favor of the Alexandria chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association’s request for $10.2 million in increased salaries for APD officers, sergeants and lieutenants over the next three years, while backing the city’s positions on pay parity and an annual $1,200 longevity bonus for those sworn staffers.

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UPDATE: Alexandria police union decries current officer pay as collective bargaining reaches impasse

By James Cullum
Alexandria Police Department cruisers on Nov. 7, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Updated at 1 p.m., Dec. 9: An earlier version of this story included a previous offer from the city on pay compensation in its collective bargaining negotiations with the Alexandria Police Department. The city’s most recent offer increases starting pay for police officers 17.21% from $63,988 a year to an annual salary of $75,000; a 21% increase for sergeants from $72,300 to $87,500 and police lieutenants 15% from $89,800 to $106,900.

With collective bargaining at a standstill, the Alexandria Police Department’s union is calling for increased salaries as the department’s pay has fallen behind other Northern Virginia localities.

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Alexandria School Board Member Tim Beaty just won a special election and says he’s running for reelection

By James Cullum
Tim Beaty is the new District A School Board member (via ACPS)

Alexandria School Board Member Tim Beaty just won his special election in January, and now he tells us that he’s running for reelection in November.

Beaty won a special election on Jan. 9 to fill the District A seat vacated by former School Board Member Willie Bailey. He was sworn in days later, and said he would spend the next several months learning the intricacies of Alexandria City Public Schools before deciding on whether to run for reelection on Nov. 5.

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ACPS reaches ‘milestone moment’ with passage of collective bargaining resolution

By James Cullum
School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

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.

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