School Board Statements

March 9, 2026

Dear Mayor Gaskins and Members of the Alexandria City Council,

Re: Vote to Appropriate ACPS Funding by Major Classification 

The Alexandria City School Board requests that the City Council postpone its scheduled vote on March 10, 2026, regarding the Resolution of Intent to transition ACPS appropriations from lump-sum to classification-based appropriation under Virginia Code § 22.1-94. A governance change of this significance warrants deliberate, collaborative, and transparent discussion between our two bodies before any action is taken. The current timeline does not provide sufficient opportunity for discussion.

The Resolution Has Not Been Publicly Discussed

The Resolution of Intent to appropriate ACPS funding by major classification beginning in FY 2028 was introduced for the first time at the joint City Council/School Board budget work session on March 4, 2026. No substantive discussion occurred between the two bodies during that session, which was focused on the FY 2027 Budget. To our knowledge, the Resolution was posted on a revised City Council docket two days later and was never formally shared with the School Board. The community deserves sufficient time to review and comment on a proposal that would alter the fiscal relationship between the City Council and the School Board.

Significant Operational Questions Remain Unanswered

Classification-based appropriation is not merely a change in budget presentation. Under Virginia Code § 22.1-89, when funds are appropriated by major classification, the School Board is legally prohibited from expending funds outside those classifications without the governing body's consent. This creates binding legal constraints on the School Board’s ability to manage the operating budget throughout the fiscal year. 

Before this change is adopted, the following considerations must be addressed jointly:

1. Collective bargaining interaction. The School Board’s collective bargaining resolution, in accordance with Virginia Code § 40.1-57.2, provides that nothing in it shall restrict the Board’s authority to establish its budget or appropriate funds. Collective bargaining agreement-mandated salary and benefit costs span multiple statutory classifications, particularly Instruction and Administration, Attendance and Health. It is unclear as to how classification-level appropriation caps will interact with the School Board’s obligation to implement negotiated collective bargaining agreements. 
2. Transfer authority and administrative burden. The City Council has not provided any information on how these transfers will be made or what will be required of ACPS. Classification-based appropriation will necessitate a new approval workflow for cross-category budget amendments and could impair the division’s ability to promptly respond to operational needs. Both bodies are reducing positions and seeking efficiencies; the cost and capacity implications of this new process should be evaluated.
3. State policy alignment and rationale. The Virginia Appropriation Act includes recurring language urging localities to appropriate school funds as a lump sum. The predominant practice statewide is lump-sum appropriation. Why does the City Council propose to go in a divergent direction? 

ACPS Already Provides Classification-Level Transparency

ACPS is committed to fiscal transparency and has consistently provided the City Council with detailed information about how school funds are allocated and spent. The adopted ACPS Budget presents expenditures by the major classifications prescribed under § 22.1-115. The annual ACPS audit reports actual expenditures in these same categories. 

We are open to discussing fiscal transparency and accountability practices; however, we have concerns about introducing legal constraints and operational rigidity that a classification-based appropriation imposes under § 22.1-89.

Our Request

The School Board requests that Council postpone the March 10, 2026 vote and schedule a joint work session to review the legal framework, operational impacts, and the experiences of the few Virginia localities that currently employ this approach.

We make this request in a spirit of partnership. Both bodies share a commitment to ensure that Alexandria’s students receive a high-quality education and that the public’s investment in our schools is managed responsibly. A governance change of this magnitude warrants a deliberative process grounded in collaboration, which will lead to a stronger outcome for our community.

Respectfully,

Michelle Rief, Chair
Christopher Harris, Vice Chair 
Abdulahi Abdalla
Tim Beaty
Kelly Carmichael Booz
Donna L. Kenley
Ryan Reyna
Alexander Crider Scioscia
Ashley Simpson Baird 

cc:  James F. Parajon, City Manager

Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Superintendent of Schools

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) has made the decision to ask the court to join the appeals recently filed by Arlington Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the repeated threats of the United States Department of Education to deprive ACPS students of federal funds. Staff within the U.S. Department of Education have claimed that ACPS’ Nondiscrimination Policy violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 regarding the treatment of transgender students, though ACPS’ policy is based directly on legal precedent issued by the Fourth Circuit.  

While ACPS does not take the decision seeking to join litigation against the U.S. Department of Education lightly, this act is necessary because to comply with the demands of the U.S. Department of Education would expressly violate the law regarding treatment of transgender students as decided by the Fourth Circuit. Since ACPS does not want to expose the school division to litigation for violating Title IX, the U.S. Department of Education has given ACPS little choice but to move forward in this fashion.

Specifically, the U.S. Department of Education claims that ACPS’ policies, which allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms on the basis of their gender identity, violates Title IX because the case that ACPS and other school divisions rely on, Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, has somehow been “abrogated” and that therefore, ACPS should change its policies.  But the U.S. Department of Education’s assertion is simply incorrect. Since that letter was sent to ACPS, the Fourth Circuit has again held that Grimm remains the law in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Furthermore, ACPS will not stand idly by and allow the U.S. Department of Education to withhold funds from children in need. ACPS’ priority is to provide the children in the City of Alexandria a world-class education while upholding the law, and we will continue to do so here.

At ACPS, we know that decisions like these can stir many emotions and questions. Please know that we made this decision with deep care and a steadfast commitment to doing what is right for every child in our schools. Our priority is to ensure that every student feels safe, respected and supported so they can thrive. Please share any questions, thoughts or concerns you may have with us at ask@acps.k12.va.us. Together, we will continue to nurture, educate and inspire every student to ensure their success.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michelle Rief
Alexandria City School Board Chair

Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt
Superintendent
Alexandria City Public Schools 

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) understands that members of the community are concerned regarding ACPS’s stance with respect to the recent Letter of Findings and proposed Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) recently issued by the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Accordingly, we want to make the community aware that ACPS has today informed OCR that it disagrees with the legal analysis in the Letter of Findings, and cannot agree to the VRA currently proposed by OCR.  

To be clear, ACPS is open to further negotiation with OCR, particularly given that OCR itself acknowledges that the legal environment in this area is a dynamic and evolving one. For the purpose of transparency, ACPS is posting its response to OCR’s letter.

For families, students and staff concerned about whether or how this decision will impact operations in ACPS, please know that ACPS’ current policies regarding the rights of all students to use restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity will remain in place. ACPS will continue to assess its policy based on legal developments in the future, but no matter what happens, students and families should understand that all ACPS students are valued and welcome in our schools, and will be treated with respect and dignity regardless of gender identity or any other characteristic.

ACPS will continue to monitor legal developments related to this issue closely, consult with counsel and ensure that our policies remain compliant with the law while maintaining our focus on the well-being of every student we serve.

Our priority is to uphold both the letter and the spirit of the law while also fostering a school environment where every child is prepared to thrive in college, career and community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michelle Rief
Alexandria City School Board Chair

Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt
Superintendent
Alexandria City Public Schools 

Position Statement Requesting Implementation Delay of At Least One Year of the Commonwealth’s School Performance and Supports Framework

November 18, 2024

Developed by Northern Virginia’s Public School System Leaders

Northern Virginia’s public school divisions educate nearly 1/3 of Virginia’s 1,261,962 PreK-12 students including nearly 33% of the Commonwealth’s students with disabilities and nearly 60% of students acquiring English language skills. We fully support a strong accountability framework for our schools and understand its role in ensuring educational excellence. We believe the Virginia Department of Education’s Guiding Principle 2: Transparency and access to actionable information is a key to successful implementation.  

In August 2024, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Board of Education adopted a new School Performance and Supports Framework for public schools and districts across the state.  We want to be good partners with the state in our shared mission to foster the success of each and every student; however, we are concerned that school divisions have not been provided that appropriate amount of time to address the new accountability requirements the Commonwealth has established. 

The Board of Education adopted the Framework only recently, and well after school divisions planned, budgeted, and staffed for the current school year, and after students had selected their courses. One-quarter of the 2024-25 school year has already passed, and many of the Framework’s measures have still not yet been fully defined nor  has detailed modeling been shared with school divisions. Additionally, the Commonwealth has yet to identify the types of support it will provide to schools in need of improvement and secure the necessary related funding.  

Because of our serious concerns, we urge the Board of Education and VDOE to delay implementation of the Framework for at least one year and directly engage with school division leaders, educators, and families across the state to refine it. 

In the spirit of collaboration, we offer the following comments and recommendations for improvement and we stand ready—starting today—to work with  you on these action steps. 

To achieve our shared goal of advancing education in Northern Virginia and in the Commonwealth, we recommend  that the following 5 actions be taken prior to implementation:

• Reinstate student knowledge growth and alternative measurement alongside mastery as key Framework components. 

Professional educators understand that learner variability is not the exception but the norm.  To ensure access and drive toward success for all students, effective educators know they must meet students where they are to support them in meeting their personal academic goals as well as the Commonwealth’s standards. Mastery measurement that does not build from this understanding risks demoralizing students, confusing parents and discouraging educators.

Unfortunately, the SOL Mastery-focused model as adopted has short, unrealistic runways for English Language Learners (3 semesters for Mastery rather than the current Demonstration of Growth standard), students with disabilities, and other students who have been historically impacted by interrupted learning or a lack of access to education.  Providing students with multiple opportunities to experience success improves student confidence, encourages them to take academic risks, and ultimately moves them to academic achievement.  

• Fully build out and transparently vet all new components of the Framework’s calculations, including the underlying algorithms, and provide ample time for professional, parent and public review, comment and testing. 

At present, the Framework is not fully developed, funded, or tested, which raises concerns about its ability to meet its intended goals. 

It’s important to note that several of the new Framework components are TBD (e.g. the “5 C’s” performance task for elementary and middle school, advanced coursework in middle school, and high-demand, high wage CTE offerings in HS) and rely heavily on advanced planning and staffing decisions which must be made during the prior school year and require parent engagement and collaboration early on in the planning process. 

The Framework requirements are also coming on the heels of multiple content standard changes during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years affecting the majority of the core content areas including Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies.  Never before have we seen so many changes required in such a short period of time.  Teachers—the key to successful educational change implementation—have not been given the essential time and training to successfully incorporate the new standards into their practice.

Change management takes time. A rushed approach that does not involve all stakeholders with sufficient time to work through potential challenges and kinks presents a significant risk of coming to false conclusions which could negatively impact our students. Parents, educators and school divisions, as well as the General Assembly, need valid and reliable data—not rushed interpretations—to make informed decisions about the true needs of our students as we all work to prepare young people to reach their ultimate goal—preparedness for post-secondary engagement, including college, career, and life. 

• Test and validate the fully built out Framework prior to full conversion.  

As has been done in the past, provide at least one year in which the old and new systems are run in parallel to identify anomalies or other issues.  We also recognize that grade level testing by its nature tests a different group of students every year. We urge you to use a three-year rolling average score to make determinations of next steps for schools and school divisions. This method will also allow for a more reliable assessment of our progress in implementing all of the new standards.

• Clarify and publicly vet the components and intent of any MOU that will be required of low-performing schools and/or school divisions, and create percentage tiers based on school division size that would trigger the imposition of any MOU, rather than straight cut scores. 
• Prioritize an immediate increase in appropriated funding for any Commonwealth school that is identified “Off Track” of  “In Need of Support”, as well as for comprehensive professional development related to the new Framework, for all school divisions based on their actual number of instructional FTEs. In the longer term, provide sufficient state funding for the state Standards of Quality as identified by the 2023 JLARC study.  

We stand ready to begin working with you and other stakeholders to perfect the Framework.  Time is an essential ingredient in any educational change.  We respectfully ask that our primary recommendation to delay full implementation for at least one year  be adopted immediately.  We offer this in service of our goal to provide excellent education to all Virginia’s students. 

Signers: School Board chairs from eight of NOVA’s school divisions.

Dr. Michelle Rief, Chair, Alexandria City School Board

Mary Kadera, Chair, Arlington County School Board

Carolyn Pitches – Chair, City of Fairfax School Board

Karl Frisch, Chair, Fairfax County School Board 

Dr. Tate Gould – Chair, Falls Church City School Board 

 

Melinda Mansfield, Chair, Loudoun County School Board

Suzanne Seaberg, Chair, Manassas City School Board

 

Dr. Babur B. Lateef, Chair, Prince William County School Board

View the PDF of the Statement 

View the News Release

July 20, 2023

Dear ACPS Students, Staff and Families,

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) prides itself on its diversity and a community that values our work to keep equity at the heart of all decision making. To that end, we were dismayed to learn last week that Governor Youngkin’s administration reintroduced “model policies” affecting transgender students. Since these policies were shared, we have heard from many community members expressing their disappointment and concern for student well-being as we embark on a new school year. 

As we did last September, when a draft version of these policies was introduced, we want to reaffirm our commitment to all students, staff and families, including our LGBTQIA+ community, that ACPS will continue to both implement and develop gender affirming policies for all ACPS students. As a School Board and division, we stand by our mission, vision and core values, as outlined in our Strategic Plan: Equity for All, to support all students and staff, in particular our core value of ensuring that we provide a welcoming environment for everyone in our school community. 

This commitment has long been a bedrock for all of our work. In December 1996 the Alexandria City School Board initially adopted a policy of nondiscrimination in education. Since 2013, the nondiscrimination policy has recognized gender identity and gender expression as protected classes for equal educational opportunities. School Board Policy JB: Nondiscrimination in Education protects students from discrimination due to gender expression, gender identity, sexual harassment and transgender status. 

Our School Board will be discussing these newly released policies as we begin the new school year. Staff is currently reviewing how the 2023 guidance from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) on transgender students differs from the model policies introduced in September 2022. ACPS will continue to ensure that its policies are in alignment with the ACPS Strategic Plan while also complying with federal and state laws.

Our school division is dedicated to the fulfillment of our ACPS 2025 Strategic Plan: Equity for All, which was adopted by the School Board in June 2020. We intend to continue building upon the gains we have accomplished as a school division to place equity at the heart of our work. We will continue to review and develop all policies with an equity lens.

We care about the mental health and well-being of everyone in our community. There are supports in place for our students with the ACPS Department of Student Services and Equity, as well as the Employee Assistance Program for staff. We urge anyone who needs help to please reach out. Once school begins, students can always reach out to a counselor, administrator or any trusted adult in ACPS if they are in need of help. Additionally, our city has the Alexandria LGBTQIA+ Task Force; more information can be found at www.alexandriava.gov/LGBTQ. 

Our students can also reach the Crisis Text Line and CrisisLink at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, through the contacts below: 

• Text: CONNECT to 85511 
• Call CrisisLink: 703-527-4077
• Text: HOME to 741741

Please know that ACPS is here to support our school community. For families who have any additional questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s school or contact us at ask@acps.k12.va.us. Our team will continue to share any new updates with the ACPS community.

In community,

Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt
Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Michelle Rief
Alexandria City School Board Chair