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.
Campaigns in Arlington’s Democratic primary and School Board caucus are kicking into gear, with three competitive races at the local level.
Candidates Monique “Moe” Bryant and June Prakash are competing for one open seat on the Arlington School Board.
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.
Concerns about state and federal revenue could lead to a delay in the adoption of Arlington Public Schools’ new budget.
Superintendent Francisco Durán said Thursday that he may ask to postpone the planned May 1 approval of the $845 million spending plan to May 15.
School leaders are still trying to find out what, if anything, a February letter from a federal agency means for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in Arlington.
A Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education gave institutions an April 12 deadline to comply with a new interpretation of “nondiscrimination obligations” in order to continue receiving federal funding.
Over a dozen additional fruit trees and bushes have joined an orchard at a Green Valley elementary school.
The greenery, which volunteers from several local organizations planted on Saturday, expands a ring of raspberry bushes, blackberry bushes and apple, plum and pear trees around Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School.
Both contenders in Arlington’s Democrat School Board primary argue that leaders should rethink a plan to close a program for preschoolers with disabilities.
At a Wednesday candidate forum, June Prakash and Monique “Moe” Bryant contended that Arlington Public Schools leadership should have engaged more with affected families before introducing the proposal to close the Integration Station and disperse its students to other classrooms.
Supporters of the Arlington Outdoor Lab program at times have had to fight to maintain funding in Arlington Public Schools’ annual budget process.
This year, however, there are smiles all around.
An auditor’s report on extensive human resources shortcomings at Arlington Public Schools has leaders promising corrective action.
“There’s a lot of issues — training is desperately needed,” said auditor Alice Blount-Fenney, whose report laid less fault at the feet of front-line HR staff and more on broader institutional failings.
The proposed $845 million fiscal 2026 budget to fund Arlington Public Schools (APS) for the 2025-26 school year has again brought up concerns over how much funding should go into classrooms and how much is needed to provide central-office oversight.
Given fiscal challenges faced by the county government and school system, and the ongoing uncertainty over the region’s economic future, those concerns may be more pronounced this year.
Excess capacity at elementary schools might someday lead Arlington Public Schools to close facilities — but there aren’t any immediate plans to do this, officials say.
“We are not projecting a need to close any schools at this time,” Board Chair Mary Kadera said in response to a question at last week’s Arlington County Civic Federation meeting.
A proposed $845.4 million budget unveiled last night will not please everyone, Arlington Public Schools leaders acknowledged.
The Fiscal Year 2026 budget package represents a spending increase of 2.3% from the current budget, and anticipates $650 million in revenue coming from Arlington County. Nevertheless, “we had to make hard decisions,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said in detailing the spending package Thursday evening.
