School board begins work sessions on $340 million capital improvement budget
Two parents oppose Jefferson-Houston conversion as board questions Cora Kelly alternative
Two parents spoke during a public hearing on Alexandria City Public Schools’ proposed $340.4 million capital improvement program Thursday evening, both urging the school board to remove the Jefferson-Houston and Patrick Henry school conversions from the budget.
David James Robbins and Salomea Fredericks, both Jefferson-Houston parents, argued the district’s own enrollment projections no longer support the need for the $30.2 million middle school conversion. A third community member, Sonia Herman, submitted written comments.
“Since the board made the conversion decision last year, much has changed and the case for pursuing this plan has weakened,” Robbins said. “City leadership has consistently expressed some skepticism about the conversion plan, and they’ve excluded it from their budgets.”
Robbins cited redistricting data showing Jefferson-Houston projected at 111% utilization, Brooks at 102% and Lyles-Crouch at 90% leading up to the proposed 2030 conversion. He said those projections don’t account for more than 1,000 homes under construction at Samuel Madden, the Heritage, and the planned Alpha Street Baptist Church project.
“In 10 years, the ACPS numbers showed the middle school enrollment will be 300 students lower than at its peak in 2028,” Robbins said.
Fredericks said ACPS’ own projections show middle school enrollment declining after 2030, returning to manageable levels by 2035.
“We don’t need to spend $38 million converting two successful K-8 schools, especially when those projects wouldn’t break ground until enrollment is already dropping,” Fredericks said.
Both speakers advocated for modular classrooms as a temporary solution, with Fredericks noting that “even ACPS’ own office recently agreed that high-quality modular classrooms could offer a flexible, cost-effective way to handle this short-term bubble.”
Fredericks said City Council removed funding for the conversions from last year’s capital budget, showing a disconnect between ACPS and city leadership.\
Board examines Cora Kelly alternatives
During the work session, board member Abdulahi Abdalla questioned staff about converting Cora Kelly into a middle school instead of proceeding with the Jefferson-Houston conversion.
Sophie Huemer, director of capital programs, planning, and design, said converting Cora Kelly to a middle school would cost approximately $156 million compared to $105 million for the currently planned elementary school modernization.
When Abdalla asked whether converting Cora Kelly to a middle school would eliminate the need for the Jefferson-Houston and Patrick Henry conversions, Huemer confirmed it would change the plan but said “the net difference is about $30 million.”
Huemer explained that even if Cora Kelly becomes a middle school, the board’s previous decision to move away from the K-8 model would still require converting Jefferson-Houston and Patrick Henry to K-5 elementary schools eventually.
“It was essentially voted on to move away from the K-8 model,” Huemer said. “And so that would mean that over time we would need to convert both of those schools into K-5s because we would meet our middle school needs with Kelly.”
Huemer noted any Cora Kelly project faces significant site challenges, including coordination with the city’s Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities department because the school shares the Chick Armstrong Center gym, which is over-utilized.
Aging infrastructure drives capital needs
The proposed capital budget prioritizes aging infrastructure, with several buildings approaching or exceeding 30 years old requiring major system renovations or replacements.
School officials presented updated facility condition assessments that calculate a Facility Condition Index for each facility to help prioritize capital needs over the 10-year cycle.
Board member Kelly Carmichael Booz requested more detail on a category labeled “all other programs less than 5%” that represents 29.65% of the budget.
“I think having a sense of what’s in that would be helpful,” Booz said.
Budget exceeds city guidance
The proposed 10-year capital plan totals $340.4 million, exceeding city guidance by $54.6 million. The largest variance occurs in fiscal year 2031, when the proposed budget exceeds guidance by $31 million, primarily due to Jefferson-Houston conversion construction costs.
The city recommended in October that ACPS maintain funding at existing or lower levels for fiscal years 2027-2036 and that any new major school renovation or replacement projects include design funding no earlier than fiscal year 2034.
The Cora Kelly modernization remains the largest single investment at $105 million across the 10-year period. The budget proposes converting Jefferson-Houston into an 850-student middle school, with $2.7 million for design in fiscal year 2030 and $27.5 million for construction in fiscal year 2031. Patrick Henry would become a K-5 elementary school, with $858,000 for design in fiscal year 2031 and $8.6 million for construction in fiscal year 2032.
Next steps
The school board will hold a second work session on the capital budget on Nov. 18, followed by add/delete sessions on Dec. 11 and Dec. 16, before final adoption on Dec. 18.
Board members’ formal written questions are due Nov. 17. The board will hold a joint work session with City Council on Nov. 24.
The budget challenges come as the district faces a $15.1 million operating budget shortfall for fiscal 2027. School officials informed the City Council on November 2 that they require $19.3 million to maintain current service levels, but anticipate only a $4.2 million increase from the city.
“Strategic investment today helps us avoid the greater cost of deferred maintenance tomorrow,” Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said during her Nov. 6 presentation. “This proposed budget is necessary to meet the educational safety and programmatic needs of our schools in the coming decade.”