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The Alexandria City School Board convened Thursday evening for its March 26 meeting, which closed with the board voting to accept the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, who will retire Oct. 1, 2026. The board immediately launched a search for a permanent replacement, with details expected in April.
Ryan Belmore
Charles Barrett safety concerns
Multiple families from Charles Barrett Elementary School appeared before the board Thursday night, describing a months-long pattern of violence by a first-grade student that they say has left their children afraid to come to school and the classroom unable to function.
Two parents, speaking separately during public comment, said the student has kicked, punched, spat on and in two cases stabbed classmates and teachers with objects. They said the school has responded with a series of safety plans that have moved the student to different classrooms but have not stopped the behavior.
"My child is afraid to be at school," said one parent, who described the bookshelves in the classroom being turned around so the student could not throw books. "The actions taken to date have been insufficient."
A second parent said the teacher "is doing his best" but is not getting adequate support from the district. "You cannot nurture, educate, and inspire under these conditions," she said.
Both parents said they were not seeking the student's removal, but a comprehensive plan that addresses the root causes of the behavior while keeping all children and staff safe. A third speaker, the father of an affected student, said he had been raising the issue with the school's principal and vice principal for months with "little to no action."
The school board did not respond publicly to the comments during the meeting. ACPS policy limits board members from discussing individual student matters in open session.
Budget
Board Chair Dr. Michelle Rief used her chair's report to make a lengthy appeal to Alexandria City Council to close a $5.6 million gap between the district's funding request and what City Manager James Parajon's proposed budget provides.
The gap is tied to the district's first-ever collective bargaining agreement with its employees union — a $12.7 million package covering wage and step increases for roughly 2,530 licensed staff and support professionals — which is contingent on city funding.
Rief said ACPS had already identified $7.5 million in cost reductions before submitting its request, including a 5% cut in non-personnel spending, eliminating 13.8 positions and shifting healthcare premium costs onto employees. She said neighboring divisions are expected to offer raises of 4.5 to 7.5% next year.
"One hundred percent of the requested increase will go toward wages for the people who work directly with our students every day," Rief said, calling on the community to press council to close the gap before its add-delete deadline of April 9.
Council's final budget adoption is set for April 29.
April 21 student holiday
The board voted unanimously to make April 21 a student holiday and staff workday due to the Alexandria City Council special election scheduled that day.
Kay-Wyatt told the board that election officials are projecting a gubernatorial-level turnout of approximately 19,000 voters across school polling sites, including the Minnie Howard Campus for the first time. She said the volume of voters — combined with the number of schools serving as both polling locations and recreation centers — made it impractical to hold classes safely.
Neighboring divisions including Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William have made similar decisions for the election, Kay-Wyatt said. No makeup day will be required; the district will use advisory time to recover instructional time.
Redistricting update
The board received an update on implementation of new school attendance boundaries taking effect this fall. Of the students affected, 860 will change schools, 333 elected to defer and remain at their current school, and 128 did not respond to the redistricting deferral form and will be moved to their newly assigned school.
District officials said principals sent welcome letters to redistricted families Thursday. A school transition hub will launch on the ACPS website April 10. Orientation events for redistricted families are planned April 23 through May 1.
Ryan Belmore
Green card sponsorship
Two teachers from the Early Childhood Center asked the board to sponsor the green card of a colleague — identified as Chin Wang — whose work visa is set to expire. Both speakers described Wang as a dedicated and irreplaceable educator who has worked with the district for seven years.
"Teachers like Ms. Wang are rare, and they are exactly the kind of dedicated, high-quality educators we should be striving to retain," said Latasha Sturgis, a special education teacher who said she has mentored Wang for two years. "Supporting them through this process is not just an investment in an individual — it is an investment in the strength and stability of our school system."
The board did not take action on the request Thursday.
Other business
The board appointed Benjamin Bryant to the budget advisory committee as part of the consent calendar. The board's next regular meeting is April 9, the same day as City Council's add-delete budget deadline.
