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State education leaders will visit Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus Wednesday evening as part of Governor Abigail Spanberger's statewide effort to hear directly from communities about the state of Virginia's public schools.
The Virginia Department of Education selected Alexandria City Public Schools as the Region 4 stop on the Commonwealth Listening Tour: Speak Up for Virginia's Future. The session takes place Wednesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. at 3775 W. Braddock Road.
The listening tour was directed by Spanberger on her first day in office, when she ordered the Secretary of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to conduct a Commonwealth-wide tour to hear directly from students, parents, educators and superintendents. Governor of Virginia Wednesday's session is the eighth in-person stop of the tour, which launched March 4 in Hampton and has since visited Gloucester, Cumberland, Roanoke, Marion, Fork Union and Colonial Heights.
Attendees expected Wednesday include ACPS Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Virginia Secretary of Education Dr. Jeffrey O. Smith, VDOE Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway, and House Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring and Del. Alfonso Lopez. Alexandria City School Board members, students, staff, families and community members are also invited to attend.
Discussion topics will include literacy and math instruction, college and career readiness, school accountability and accreditation, and teacher recruitment and retention.
The tour also includes two early childhood care and education stakeholder sessions Thursday, April 9, at the Gum Springs Community Center, 8100 Fordson Road in Fairfax County — one from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and another from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A separate registration form is required for those sessions.
Space is limited at all in-person events and advance registration is encouraged. Those unable to attend can submit public comment online through April 10.
The state's visit comes at a moment of significant transition for Alexandria City Public Schools. The School Board voted March 26 to accept the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt— leaving the district simultaneously managing a second leadership vacancy at Alexandria City High School, which has operated without a permanent principal since July 2025. The district is also navigating an unresolved budget dispute with Alexandria City Council over a first-ever $12.7 million collective bargaining agreement with the teachers union that remains contingent on city funding.
