Alexandria City School Board Approves Fiscal Year 2025 Combined Funds Budget

The Alexandria City School Board approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Combined Funds (CF) Budget at its meeting on Feb. 22, 2024. Seven of the nine School Board members voted to approve the budget with two Board members voting no. The CF budget prioritizes improvements to staff compensation and increasing specific school-based staff positions, improving instructional alignment and rigor, funding technology upgrades to prevent or mitigate cyber-security threats, preparing for the opening of the Alexandria City High School (ACHS) Minnie Howard campus in August 2024 and supporting the launch of middle school athletics.

The Approved Combined Funds Budget for FY 2025, includes the Operating Budget, School Nutrition Funds, as well as Grants and Special Projects Fund, totals $384.4 million. The ACPS Operating Budget requests a City of Alexandria funding appropriation of $279.6 million for the 2024-25 school year which is an increase of 8.1% from last year’s budget. Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt proposed the initial budget to the School Board on Jan. 4, 2024. 

As ACPS maintains its focus on staff recruitment and retention amidst the competitive job market, the budget includes several measures supporting its efforts. These include step increases for eligible employees, a 2% market rate adjustment (MRA), higher wage rates for hourly or casual employees (including substitute teachers), recruitment and retention bonuses for eligible positions in special education, transportation and other teaching roles, and increasing benefit rates to maintain the current rate benefit plan structure.

“The FY 2025 Combined Funds Budget underscores our commitment to students and staff,” said School Board Chair Dr. Michelle Rief. “This budget is a testament to our collective vision for growing a thriving educational community that supports staff and prepares our students for the future.”

The Combined Funds budget also includes increased staffing based on enrollment levels to include additional teachers for homeroom, English Learner (EL) and specialized instruction (SPED) classes and to support new pathways and courses as a result of the opening of the new Minnie Howard campus of the Alexandria City High School (ACHS). The CF budget looks ahead to address the need for improved cybersecurity protection and improved technology infrastructure, ensuring sufficient facilities and operational funding for such items as risk management and property insurances as well as an increase in operational costs due to the new high school campus. Funding for middle school athletics in the proposed budget is set to be allocated towards equipment, uniforms, stipends and transportation.

“I truly value the collaboration between the division and the Alexandria City School Board, and would like to thank them for their approval of the FY 2025 Combined Funds budget,” said Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt. “I also want to express my appreciation for our dedicated Financial Services team for continuing to work to find innovative solutions to the complex budget challenges the division faces.” “Together we will continue to advocate and work to produce a budget that best supports our students and staff until it is fully adopted in the spring.”

Throughout the year-long budget process, ACPS has provided several engagement opportunities for the community to partake in. To date, ACPS has hosted a Community Budget Forum in October of 2023, two work sessions and a Public Hearing was held on Jan. 18, 2024.

The School Board is expected to adopt the Final FY 2025 Combined Funds and the FY 2025-2034 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budgets on June 6, 2024. The full budget timeline and a summary of this year’s budget process can be found on the ACPS FY 2025 Budget webpage.