The Alexandria Brief: Monday, March 30

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Monday, March 30 — the 89th day of 2026, with 276 days left in the year. You're one of 5,703 neighbors reading this morning.

Scattered showers this morning, then partly sunny with a high near 70. Spring break continues — no school for students this week.

Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt sent a personal message to families Friday morning, her first public comments since the School Board accepted her resignation Thursday night. "The time has come to turn that same devotion toward my family," she wrote.

A dispute has emerged between some council members and ACPS over whether the city had the data it needed to understand the scope of the district's first collective bargaining agreement. And the VRE bridge replacement project is moving forward — expect pile driving in Rosemont starting late April.

The city's spring Pothole Palooza gets underway today, launching a monthlong push to identify and repair winter road damage along Alexandria's right of way. Residents should expect periodic lane closures as crews move through the city.

Here's what you need to know.

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1️⃣ Some council members said they lacked key CBA data. ACPS presented that data three weeks earlier.

Minnie Howard Campus at Alexandria City High School (ACPS)

A dispute has emerged between some members of Alexandria City Council and Alexandria City Public Schools over whether the council had the information it needed to understand the scope of ACPS's historic first collective bargaining agreement — a question that surfaced inside a broader conversation about whether the city's annual budget process can keep pace with a government increasingly bound by multi-year labor contracts.

At the March 25 budget work session, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, who was leading the meeting due to Mayor Alyia Gaskins' absence, raised the possibility of moving to a biannual budget, noting that collective bargaining agreements were locking up larger portions of the city's spending with each passing year.

It was directly in that context — a council grappling with how much of its discretionary authority was being reduced year by year — that concerns about the ACPS agreement came to the surface.

Councilman Canek Aguirre raised a question about which employees would be covered under the agreement and when.

2️⃣ Kay-Wyatt: 'The time has come to turn that same devotion toward my family'

Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Superintendent of ACPS. (ACPS)

Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt spoke directly to Alexandria City Public Schools families and staff Friday morning, sending a personal message that offered the first glimpse into why she chose to step down after three years leading the district.

"After deep reflection and heartfelt conversations with my family, I am writing to share that I will be retiring," Kay-Wyatt wrote in a ParentSquare message sent at 8:11 a.m. Friday. "The time has come to turn that same devotion toward my family, to honor the relationships that have anchored and sustained me, and to step into the next chapter with the same intentionality that has always guided this work."

The message came hours after the Alexandria City School Board voted Thursday evening to accept Kay-Wyatt's resignation, effective Oct. 1, 2026. The board immediately announced a search for a permanent replacement, with details expected in April.

3️⃣ VRE bridge project to bring noise, road closures to Rosemont this spring

King and Commonwealth Railroad Bridges (Virginia Passenger Rail Authority)

Virginia Railway Express is pushing forward with a railroad bridge replacement project that will bring months of noise and periodic road closures to the Rosemont neighborhood, part of a nearly $6 billion initiative to ease a critical rail bottleneck south of Washington.

Pile driving on the railroad right of way is expected to begin in late April and continue into May, according to information VRE provided to the Rosemont Citizens' Association's Planning, Environment, Land-Use, and Transportation Committee and shared Thursday on the neighborhood listserv.

Del Ray Pizzeria is now Del Ray Public House (screenshot/delraypublichouse.com)

Del Ray Pizzeria, a fixture on Mount Vernon Avenue since 2010, is officially operating under a new name and an expanded menu.

Visitors to delraypizzeria.com this week were greeted with a transition notice announcing that the restaurant has been "re-established" as Del Ray Public House. The owners describe the change as a new frontier — one that moves the grill to center stage while keeping, in their words, "the legendary pizzas that put us on the map."

The pizzas are still very much on the map.

5️⃣ ACPS school board to hold public hearing on police partnership agreement in April

Alexandria City School Board Meeting Room (ACPS)

The Alexandria City School Board will hold a public hearing next month on its Memorandum of Understanding with the Alexandria Police Department, the agreement that governs the role of police in Alexandria's public schools, officials announced Friday.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, April 16, at 5 p.m. in the School Board Meeting Room at 1340 Braddock Place. Community members who wish to speak must sign up by noon on Wednesday, April 15. Written comments may also be submitted using an online form posted to the ACPS website. The board is expected to vote on final approval at its April 23 meeting.

The draft MOU will be posted publicly when it appears on the April 9 school board meeting agenda — the same night as City Council's add-delete budget deadline — giving the community roughly a week to review proposed changes before the hearing.

📰 In brief

The Light Horse on King Street returns for a third year as home to the DMV's biggest Easter Monday party. (The Alexandria Brief)

Virginia American Water crews will begin routine flushing of the water distribution system throughout Alexandria today. Flushing continues through April 10. (Virginia American Water)

DCANTER will host a grand opening celebration this Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 1101 King Street, Suite 112 (entrance on N. Hentry Street). (The Alexandria Brief)

Alexandria kicks off spring maintenance season with street sweeping, pothole repairs, and more. (The Alexandria Brief)

AFD Engine 206 and Truck 422 arrived with smoke showing from an apartment building on West Braddock Road on Sunday. Crews located and extinguished a kitchen fire in an apartment. (Alexandria Firefighters)

AFD Engine 201 and Truck 205 arrived first due with fire showing from a townhouse in the 100 Block of Quay Street in Old Town. Crews quickly located and extinguished a room and contents fire on the second floor. (Alexandria Firefighters)

The recording and presentation is now available from last week's virtual Taylor Run Infrastructure Stabilization Community Meeting. (City of Alexandria)

The city has partnered with nonprofit Solar United Neighbors to offer Switch Together, a group buying program for heat pumps. The program runs through May 27. (City of Alexandria)

As of March 26, 3,917 residents have voted early in person for the April 21 Special Election, and 10,084 have requested mail-in ballots. The ballot includes a contest for City Council as well as a proposed statewide constitutional amendment. Early voting continues today at 132 N Royal Street. (City of Alexandria)

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Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Scattered showers today, mainly between 7 a.m. and noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 70 degrees. Scattered showers tonight, mainly between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58 degrees.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:55 a.m., sunset at 7:29 p.m. 12 hours & 34 minutes of sun. High tide at 7:07 a.m. and 7:33 p.m. Low tide at 1:14 a.m. and 1:37 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Gibbous.

🗓️ Things To Do

9 a.m.: Monday Morning Coffee Club at Rosemont Cellar
6:30 p.m.: Joggers & Lagers at Port City Brewing Company

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Just For Fun at 9 p.m.
Clyde’s at Mark Center: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant: Traditional Irish Music at 7 p.m.
Del Ray Public House: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Epicure on King: Open Mic at 7 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Jim West at 6 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Colby Sard at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Birchmere: Lucius at 7:30 p.m.

🏛️ City & Schools

City Government: Open | Flag Status: Full Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste Collection: On Time| Schools: Spring Break - No school for students

6 a.m.: Chinquapin Open at Chinquapin
7 a.m.: Minnie Howard Open at Minnie Howard
1:30 p.m.: Commission on Aging Executive Committee Meeting (virtual)

📚 Alexandria Library

All day: A Commonwealth of Cultures Exhibit at Local History/Special Collections
All day: America 250 Community Mini Art Show Canvas Pick-Up at Burke Branch Library
All day: Footsteps of History - Virtual Walking Challenge (virtual)
10:15 a.m.: Baby Time at Duncan Branch Library
11 a.m.: Storytime in the Reading Garden at Beatley Central Library
11:15 a.m.: Baby Time at Duncan Branch Library
1 p.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) at Burke Branch Library
4 p.m.: Sensory Storytime at Duncan Branch Library
5:30 p.m.: English Language Learning Workshop at Beatley Central Library
5:30 p.m.: Teen Takeover at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Bad Art Night! at Barrett Branch Library

📜 On This Day in History

On March 30 and 31, 1841, former President John Quincy Adams visited Edmund Jennings Lee at his home at 614 Oronoco Street. Adams had dinner and breakfast at Lee’s home, today known as the Lee-Fendall House. (Historic Alexandria)