03.09.26 Letter from School Board to City Council

Please read below the letter sent on March 9th, 2026 to the Alexandria City Council from the School Board on the vote to appropriate ACPS funding by major classification:

Dear Mayor Gaskins and Members of the Alexandria City Council,

Re: Vote to Appropriate ACPS Funding by Major Classification 

The Alexandria City School Board requests that the City Council postpone its scheduled vote on March 10, 2026, regarding the Resolution of Intent to transition ACPS appropriations from lump-sum to classification-based appropriation under Virginia Code § 22.1-94. A governance change of this significance warrants deliberate, collaborative, and transparent discussion between our two bodies before any action is taken. The current timeline does not provide sufficient opportunity for discussion.

The Resolution Has Not Been Publicly Discussed

The Resolution of Intent to appropriate ACPS funding by major classification beginning in FY 2028 was introduced for the first time at the joint City Council/School Board budget work session on March 4, 2026. No substantive discussion occurred between the two bodies during that session, which was focused on the FY 2027 Budget. To our knowledge, the Resolution was posted on a revised City Council docket two days later and was never formally shared with the School Board. The community deserves sufficient time to review and comment on a proposal that would alter the fiscal relationship between the City Council and the School Board.

Significant Operational Questions Remain Unanswered

Classification-based appropriation is not merely a change in budget presentation. Under Virginia Code § 22.1-89, when funds are appropriated by major classification, the School Board is legally prohibited from expending funds outside those classifications without the governing body's consent. This creates binding legal constraints on the School Board’s ability to manage the operating budget throughout the fiscal year. 

Before this change is adopted, the following considerations must be addressed jointly:

1. Collective bargaining interaction.  The School Board’s collective bargaining resolution, in accordance with Virginia Code § 40.1-57.2, provides that nothing in it shall restrict the Board’s authority to establish its budget or appropriate funds. Collective bargaining agreement-mandated salary and benefit costs span multiple statutory classifications, particularly Instruction and Administration, Attendance and Health. It is unclear as to how classification-level appropriation caps will interact with the School Board’s obligation to implement negotiated collective bargaining agreements. 

2. Transfer authority and administrative burden. The City Council has not provided any information on how these transfers will be made or what will be required of ACPS. Classification-based appropriation will necessitate a new approval workflow for cross-category budget amendments and could impair the division’s ability to promptly respond to operational needs. Both bodies are reducing positions and seeking efficiencies; the cost and capacity implications of this new process should be evaluated.

3. State policy alignment and rationale. The Virginia Appropriation Act includes recurring language urging localities to appropriate school funds as a lump sum. The predominant practice statewide is lump-sum appropriation. Why does the City Council propose to go in a divergent direction? 

ACPS Already Provides Classification-Level Transparency

ACPS is committed to fiscal transparency and has consistently provided the City Council with detailed information about how school funds are allocated and spent. The adopted ACPS Budget presents expenditures by the major classifications prescribed under § 22.1-115. The annual ACPS audit reports actual expenditures in these same categories. 

We are open to discussing fiscal transparency and accountability practices; however, we have concerns about introducing legal constraints and operational rigidity that a classification-based appropriation imposes under § 22.1-89.

Our Request

The School Board requests that Council postpone the March 10, 2026 vote and schedule a joint work session to review the legal framework, operational impacts, and the experiences of the few Virginia localities that currently employ this approach.

We make this request in a spirit of partnership. Both bodies share a commitment to ensure that Alexandria’s students receive a high-quality education and that the public’s investment in our schools is managed responsibly. A governance change of this magnitude warrants a deliberative process grounded in collaboration, which will lead to a stronger outcome for our community.

Respectfully,

Michelle Rief, Chair

Christopher Harris, Vice Chair 

Abdulahi Abdalla

Tim Beaty

Kelly Carmichael Booz

Donna L. Kenley

Ryan Reyna

Alexander Crider Scioscia

Ashley Simpson Baird 

cc:  James F. Parajon, City Manager

Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Superintendent of Schools