The Arlington School Board appointed a new principal at Washington-Liberty High School last night (Thursday) in a controversial vote.
The unanimous decision to select Alexander Duncan III — currently the executive principal of Alexandria City High School, Virginia’s largest public high school — came despite efforts to keep interim principal Christian Willmore.
School Board members received a letter to this effect earlier in the week, signed by what appears to be a significant portion of school staff.
In his first public appearance after his selection, Duncan asked those with concerns to give him time to prove his worth.
“Change in leadership can stir up a range of emotions. I know those feelings,” he said. “I seek and I strive to earn the trust of this community. I commit myself to earning your trust.”
Duncan steps into a post left vacant by former principal Antonio Hall, who is becoming the director of the school system’s Extended Day program following a leave of absence. Duncan is expected to start work at Washington-Liberty on July 16.
After ratifying the principal’s appointment as a consent agenda item, School Board Chair Mary Kadera said that Duncan has “a proven track record” that will serve the students of Arlington’s oldest public high school well.
“We wish you success in your new role,” she said.
The letter of support for Willmore, the interim principal, said that he “has earned the trust of the undersigned who will have to carry out the mission of educating Arlington’s children, and in our opinion has earned the seat at the head of Washington-Liberty.”
He was serving as principal of Wakefield High School in 2023 when he was promoted to become the school system’s director of secondary education. He stepped in for Hall at W-L on an interim basis earlier this year.
“Dr. Willmore’s open-door policy and ability to be present in all parts of our massive campus brought a needed level of comfort to the school,” the staff letter to School Board members said. “His efforts and successes exceeded our expectations.”
One individual in the school said a total of 158 faculty and staff had signed on to the letter, which was provided to ARLnow by several individuals connected to the high school.
The letter was not critical of Duncan, but “masses of the staff wanted Christian Willmore as principal,” one individual with insider knowledge told ARLnow.
The vote on the appointment of Duncan and other new staff came before the meeting’s public-comment period. However, that didn’t stop speakers from voicing their concerns about the process leading to the new principal’s selection.
Kadera asked speakers to discuss the principal-selection matter in broad terms, without specifically referencing Duncan or Willmore.
“This is not the forum for individual personnel matters,” she said. “It’s a matter of professional courtesy and respect.”
Washington-Liberty High School teacher Josh Folb, an Arlington Education Association member and fixture at School Board comment sessions, made clear that the recommendation by a staff committee backing Willmore had been disregarded in the final decision.
Folb wanted to know if it was part of a trend. He asked School Board members to release data showing recommendations of similar advisory bodies in past hiring processes for principals, and comparing them to the individual eventually selected for the job.
“If there’s a pattern of those on the ground being ignored … then end the practice,” Folb said. “We do nobody any favors by making people think their voice matters, only to be shown days later it in fact does not.”
Another Washington-Liberty teacher, Candace Barbara, told School Board members that problems at the high school run deep.
She claimed there is a “hostile” and “toxic” work environment there, criticizing leadership that, she said, “asks students to spy on their teachers … pits teachers against one another, employs intimidation tactics and abuses power dynamics.”
Duncan became Alexandria City High School’s executive principal in 2023. He entered the city’s school system as a middle-school English teacher in 2007 and later moved into a succession of administrative roles.
“I am a leader with service at heart. This is how I live my life,” Duncan said at last night’s meeting.
Some reviews of Duncan’s tenure at Alexandria City High School are available online, though they are anonymous, making it difficult or impossible to verify any claims made.
He has received largely negative reviews on a website that allows educators to rate their principal and mixed reviews from a site focused on parent evaluations of principals.
Duncan’s appointment was one of dozens of staff actions taken by the School Board as it prepared for the start of the school system’s 2026 fiscal year on July 1.
“We have every confidence you’re going to make an incredible difference,” Kadera told the new hires and those who received promotions.
