Operating Budget Proposed By Alexandria Superintendent

ALEXANDRIA, VA — On Thursday, Alexandria's superintendent of schools presented a proposed combined fund budget for fiscal year 2023 to the Alexandria School Board. The $316.2 million operating budget proposal is a 6.6 percent increase from last year's budget.

The combined fund budget includes the operating budget for Alexandria City Public SChools, as well as school nutrition funds, grants and special projects. The combined fund proposal of $345.8 million is largely made up of operating funds.

"This budget is aligned with the priorities set by the School Board for the 2022-23 school year," said Superintendent Gregory Hutchings Jr. in a statement. "It provides the support our students and staff need to succeed and mirrors our core values that ensure ACPS is empowering, equity-focused, innovative and results-driven."

According to a news release from ACPS, the superintendent's budget priorities include staff compensation, increased quality of remote learning, and social, emotional and academic learning supports for students. To help ACPS with competitive salaries and staff retention and recruitment, the budget proposes an average 2.6 percent salary step increase and 2.5 percent market rate adjustment for eligible staff. For staff not eligible for a step increase due to being on a hold step or the top of the scale, a 2 percent one-time payment of the base salary is proposed. Market rate adjustments are proposed for select staff, including bus drivers, bus monitors, bus mechanics, paraprofessionals, and elementary and middle school principals and department chiefs.

The proposal includes an allocation to expand access and improve the quality of virtual learning. ACPS intends to use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds from the American Rescue Plan for student supports to address learning loss and trauma related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work sessions by the Alexandria School Board will be held in January following the superintendent's presentation. A public hearing is expected to be scheduled on Jan. 20. Adoption of the budget by the School Board is expected Feb. 10. After that, the ACPS budget request goes to City Council as part of the city government's budget process. The city manager's budget proposal is expected on Feb. 15, and budget adoption is expected on May 4. The city's budget includes a transfer to ACPS, but how the funds are spent is up to the School Board. After the city's budget approval, another public hearing on the ACPS budget is planned by the School Board on May 19.

Check back for budget proposal information on the ACPS budget website.