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.
The estimated cost of building a new career center on S. Walter Reed Drive is ratcheting up again because of unforeseen conditions at the project’s construction site.
School Board members will receive a presentation on Thursday on appropriating another $1.18 million in contingency funds for the project.
With the filing deadline for candidates only about a week away, the race for one open position on the Arlington School Board has moved into general-election mode.
Democratic endorsee Monique “Moe” Bryant currently faces only one competitor in the Nov. 4 election, returning candidate Major Webb. At least one other candidate is also seeking to qualify before the June 17 filing deadline.
Public opinion won the day on two contentious issues as School Board members finalized an $844.6 million budget last week.
The new spending package, approved last Thursday, is up 2.2% from the fiscal year ending June 30. It includes funding for continuing the Integration Station early-childhood program and retaining library aides as full-time positions.
A divided School Board on Thursday night (May 15) opted not to add a last-minute school holiday in early June to accommodate a key date on the Islamic calendar.
Although their votes went in different directions, Board members each said they were conflicted in selecting the best option available to them.
Washington-Liberty High School Principal Tony Hall is stepping down to take a new, unnamed leadership job within Arlington Public Schools.
In a message to the Washington-Liberty High School community, Hall said he will continue serving the Arlington community in a different capacity.
Monique “Moe” Bryant defeated June Prakash in the Arlington County Democratic Committee caucus, moving on to the Nov. 4 general election.
Bryant, executive director of Challenging Racism, won 1,288 votes (69%) to 582 for Prakash, president of the Arlington Education Association.
The vast majority of Arlington Public Schools students and faculty feel safe at school, new data suggests.
A recent survey found that 88% of respondents in grades 4-5 and 85% in grades 6-12 said they felt safe, Aaron Queen, the school system’s director of safety, security and emergency management, said at a School Board meeting last week.
The Arlington School Board has pushed back a final budget vote to give officials time to finish crunching numbers.
The vote on the budget is now scheduled to happen on Thursday, May 15 as leaders determine the effects of recent funding decisions at the state level.
The president of the Arlington Education Association says she will give up the position if elected to the School Board.
“Would I step down if elected? Yes, I would,” June Prakash said when questioned on her plans by Arlington NAACP education chair Tia Alfred at the civil-rights organization’s online candidate forum earlier this week.
Arlington’s superintendent earns passing grades from the two Democratic candidates vying for a post on the School Board.
At an online candidate forum hosted by the Arlington NAACP, Monique “Moe” Bryant and June Prakash voiced support for Superintendent Francisco Durán but challenged other aspects of Arlington Public Schools leadership.
Possible reductions in federal funds for special education could put more stresses on Arlington Public Schools’ budget proposal.
“There are questions, concerns, uncertainties” about the Trump administration’s plans for special education funds, said Kenneth Brown, the school system’s director of secondary-level special education, at an April 10 School Board meeting.
