Alexandria City School Board Accepts Resignation of Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Alexandria City School Board announced today that it had accepted the resignation of Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., effective Aug. 31, 2022. The announcement was made after a special called Board meeting this morning, followed by a message sent via email from Dr. Hutchings to ACPS staff and families. 

“It has been both an honor and a pleasure to work alongside Dr Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.  He has led our school division during extremely tumultuous times and, in doing so, has modeled for all of us what it means to lead with vision, integrity, and passion. Alexandria City Public Schools has benefited tremendously from his leadership. As a board, we are sad to see him go, but we wish him the very best in his future endeavors. I have no doubt that we will see him doing great things that will impact public education beyond the boundaries of Alexandria City Public Schools” said Board Chair Meagan L. Alderton.

A 1995 graduate of T.C. Williams High School, Dr. Hutchings has served as ACPS superintendent since July 2018. He previously served in various capacities at the school division, including as director of pre-K-12 initiatives and director of middle school programs. Between 2013 and 2018, he was superintendent of Shaker Heights Schools, located in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and has also served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal at the middle and high school levels in Virginia and Tennessee. 

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the students, staff, families and community of  Alexandria. Thank you for the opportunity to lead this amazing community of educators and to serve as an example to our students, so that they, too, can have their dream job. While I will no longer stand at the helm of ACPS to lead our team, I will continue to support the work and care deeply for our students, staff and families,” said Dr. Hutchings. 

In his four years at ACPS, Dr. Hutchings worked collaboratively with the School Board and the ACPS team to realize many significant accomplishments that are noteworthy:

• Achieved our school division’s highest graduation rate and lowest dropout rate since Virginia began reporting these data in 2008. In 2021, ACPS saw a nine-percentage point increase in the on-time graduation rate, from 82% in 2020 to 91% in 2021, and a nine-percentage point decrease in the overall student dropout rate, from 14% in 2020 to 5% in 2021. 
• Achieved the full accreditation of all ACPS schools in 2019 for the first time in 20 years.
• Launched an inclusive, community-wide engagement initiative, known as The Identity Project, to rename two schools 
• Developed operating budgets that were adopted by the School Board for FY2022 and FY2023 that had a major focus on employee compensation
• Initiated an equity policy audit of all ACPS policies that began in 2020-21 to identify systemic racial inequities, launched the equity climate survey which is now in its second year so ACPS leaders can hear the perspectives and voices of students, staff and families on their experiences of the equity climate in our schools and school division. Created an online equity dashboard that is updated at regular intervals throughout the school year to share rigorous metrics with stakeholders.
• Established the VIP Awards program to recognize staff in various categories who exemplify the vision, integrity and passion we are so proud of in our school division. 

Chair Alderton stated that the School Board will appoint an interim superintendent to lead the division while a search for a permanent superintendent is underway. Dr. Hutchings has pledged to work closely with the School Board over the summer to ensure there is a smooth transition in leadership to begin the 2022-23 school year. 

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) serves more than 15,400 students who hail from more than 110 countries and speak 121 languages. ACPS has 18 schools, including two middle schools, two K-8 schools, one pre-K school and the internationally recognized Alexandria City High School. ACPS is committed to putting racial equity at the heart of all decisions and ensuring that each and every student succeeds. Visit www.acps.k12.va.us.