ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Alexandria City School Board will interview superintendent candidates within the next 15 days, meeting in closed session at an undisclosed time and place.
The board voted 8-0 Thursday to give the public notice required under Virginia's open meetings law. Vice Chair Alexander Crider Scioscia made the motion, and Michelle Rief seconded it. Board member Ashley Simpson Baird was not present for the vote; she arrived later in the meeting.
The notice says the board will meet "for the sole purpose of interviewing candidates for the position of Superintendent." The 15-day window runs through Sept. 25.
"We are beginning the interview process of our superintendent candidates," Chair Christopher Harris said before the vote. "In order to do so, we have to give public notice of our intent to meet privately as a board."
The step fits the timeline ACPS has published, which calls for finalist interviews in September and an announcement in October, while noting that dates may change. Harris told families Sept. 1 that the search had drawn a strong national pool and that the board remained on schedule. He also said Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor did not apply for the permanent job.
ACPS has said it will not release candidates' names. Virginia law does not require school boards to identify superintendent finalists before a vote.
The board is working with the executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. On Aug. 12, the board moved up former Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt's resignation date, ending her tenure seven weeks early, and appointed Taylor acting superintendent the same evening.
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.
