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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Alexandria City School Board will interview candidates for superintendent over the next several weeks and expects to update the community again before October, board Chair Christopher Harris said Tuesday.
In a message sent to families and staff Tuesday afternoon, Harris said the search has drawn what he described as a strong and highly qualified pool of candidates from across the country. He said the board would weigh candidates' experience, leadership qualities and ability to meet the needs of students, staff, families and the broader community.
Harris said the board remains on schedule.
The update follows the board's Aug. 27 meeting, at which members met in closed session to discuss prospective candidates. The board made no announcement following the closed session. Harris referenced that meeting in Tuesday's message.
Taylor did not apply
Harris confirmed that Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor is not a candidate for the permanent job.
"I want to note that Dr. Taylor did not apply for the permanent superintendent position," he wrote, adding that her focus remains on leading the division and maintaining stability until the board appoints a successor who can begin serving.
Harris thanked Taylor for what he called experienced and steady leadership during the transition.
Taylor was appointed acting superintendent on Aug. 12, the same evening the board voted to move former Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt's resignation date up from Oct. 1, ending her tenure seven weeks early. Applications for the permanent position closed that same day.
Candidates will not be identified
Harris reiterated that the selection and interview process is confidential and that candidates' identities will not be released.
He said maintaining confidentiality is consistent with executive-level searches and is important to attracting highly qualified applicants, including people currently serving in leadership roles elsewhere.
ACPS has taken that position since the search began. Asked last week whether a list of candidates was publicly available, Daryl Johnson, the division's executive director of communications, said the search is confidential and that candidates will not be shared publicly.
Virginia law does not require school boards to identify superintendent finalists before a vote, and practice varies across the state. ACPS took a different approach in its search for a principal at Alexandria City High School this spring, publishing a leadership profile, holding virtual community meet-and-greet sessions with candidates in May, and bringing the finalist to the board for a public vote.
The board is conducting the search with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, an executive search firm. The division's published timeline calls for finalist interviews in September and an announcement of the new superintendent in October, and notes that dates may change.
Harris said the board plans to provide another update prior to October.
Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria resident and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
