School board extends police agreement; facility naming heads to public hearing
Enrollment drops to 15,928 as English learner families leave at higher rates; student journalists win policy changes
The Alexandria City School Board on Thursday unanimously approved a six-month extension of its agreement with the Alexandria Police Department governing school resource officers, while reviewing facility naming recommendations, academic calendars, and enrollment figures showing continued decline.
Police agreement extended again
The board voted to push the expiration of its memorandum of understanding with APD from Dec. 30 to June 30, 2026 — the second extension this year after the original June deadline passed without a finalized agreement.
Division Counsel Robert Falconi told the board the Governance Committee needs more time to address concerns raised during recent reviews of the 23-page document.
“The governance committee actually expressed to me they wanted a shorter deadline than six months,” Falconi said. “I’ve kept it at six months just because it occurred to me that we do need to make sure that our partners with the police department are okay with whatever changes we make, if any.”
Board member Tim Beaty noted that the City Council had previously spent more than two hours discussing an earlier draft. “I just hope that they get the full opportunity to look at it before it’s finalized as well,” he said.
Virginia law requires school divisions with school resource officers to maintain such agreements, which must be reviewed every two years.
Superintendent recommends approving one of four facility names
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt recommended the board move forward with only one of four proposed facility names due to narrow margins in community polling and budget constraints.
The superintendent supports naming the courtyard at the Early Childhood Center “Owen’s Place,” honoring Owen Michael Wagner, whose mother served as the center’s first principal and who aspired to become a teacher before his death. The proposal received 75 percent support in community polling, and an existing plaque funded by the community is ready for installation at no cost.
Staff recommended deferring decisions on three other facilities: Kerry Donley Athletic Field Complex at Minnie Howard (49 percent support), Keith Burns Field at Parker-Gray Stadium (40.1 percent) and Jean B. Reed Media Center at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary (50.1 percent).
“What we saw with the poll results were more of pluralities or narrow majorities,” said Taneika Taylor Tukan, executive director of community partners and engagement. “If we were to combine ‘do not name’ with the other options, the other naming options did not receive more than 50 percent.”
But several board members pushed back, arguing the petitioners followed the established process in good faith.
“We had a policy and regulation, and we went through that policy — went through getting the 500 signatures, writing up the descriptions, this whole eight, nine-month process,” said board member Donna Kenley. “I don’t believe that we should change the policy for the selection of these three people.”
Chair Michelle Rief noted that previous naming efforts had similar or lower support levels. “When we went through the process of naming the high school and Naomi Brooks ... Alexandria High School had 34 percent of the respondents that supported moving forward with that name. And Naomi Brooks had 30 percent.”
Kay-Wyatt clarified that the recommendations were not a rejection of the honorees. “We are really honored by the names that have come forward to us,” she said, adding that the deferral was about establishing clearer standards for signage and implementation.
A public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11, with a board vote planned for Dec. 18.
Calendars present growing challenges
The board reviewed proposed academic calendars through 2028-29, with staff warning that scheduling difficulties are intensifying as the division balances instructional time against cultural observances.
For 2026-27, students on the traditional calendar begin Aug. 24 and finish June 17. The 2027-28 calendar starts Aug. 23 and ends June 15, with spring break shifting from late March to mid-April.
A priority for the Calendar Committee was eliminating isolated learning days — single school days sandwiched between holidays.
“We had four of those days this year, so we are seeing none of those this year,” Tukan said of the 2026-27 calendar.
But 2028-29 presents unusual problems. Five holidays — Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, Election Day, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha — fall on Tuesdays or Thursdays, threatening isolated days throughout the year.
“We’ll potentially be looking at two two-day weeks in November based on how those days fall,” Tukan said.
The committee recommended surveying stakeholders and creating clearer regulations around parent-teacher conferences. The board is expected to vote on the 2027-28 calendar at a future meeting.
Enrollment continues to decline
District enrollment stands at 15,928 students, down 407 from last year’s 16,335 and 617 below projections.
Dr. Marya Runkle, Director of Education and Business Applications at ACPS, presented the annual fall membership report, highlighting the largest gaps at elementary schools (278 students below projection) and at Alexandria City High School (302 below projection).
“There are economic factors, political factors, and humans just being humans that fall into the projection landscape,” Runkle said.
Analysis of withdrawals showed 1,405 students did not return between June and September. English learner families represented 47 percent of withdrawals despite comprising 37.6 percent of enrollment.
The district serves students from 119 countries speaking 130 native languages, with Hispanic students the largest demographic group at 37.1 percent.
Student journalists win policy changes
The board reviewed six policy revisions, including an overhaul of student publications guidelines following advocacy by Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper.
The updated policy removes principals as editors, designating them as advisors instead, while elevating student assistant editors to co-editor status alongside faculty sponsors. The changes include explicit protection from retaliation for student journalists.
Student representative Madison Flores thanked the board for the collaborative process. “Your willingness to listen, to reflect, and to adjust when needed makes a meaningful difference to students,” she said.
The policies are scheduled for adoption on Dec. 18.
Public comment
Five community members addressed the board: Deborah McKeeman, Bridget Shea Westfall, Allison Paige Smith, David G. Speck and David Paladin-Fernandez. Written comments were submitted by Estefania Pimienta, Zion Abebe and Suzie O’Brien.