Schools

ACPS Board Seeks Legal Counsel Over Grants Foundation

The School Board for Alexandria City Public Schools has decided to seek legal counsel regarding a grants foundation set up by the superintendent and others.

The Alexandria City Public School Board is seeking legal counsel in regards to a grants foundation set up by the school division’s superintendent and others.

Several board members asked Superintendent Morton Sherman at a Jan. 10 School Board meeting why, if this foundation did not require board approval for its creation, does it use the ACPS name and keep an ACPS mailing address and contact phone number.

At that meeting, board members asked for more details about the foundation to be presented at its next meeting, which was Jan. 24.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The board received a stack of materials from the superintendent just prior to the 7 p.m. meeting on Jan. 24 and decided it did not have sufficient time to review it to enable effective discussion at that time.

Members decided to turn the packet of materials over to their legal counsel, which is Fairfax-based Blankenship and Keith.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Board Chairman Karen Graf told Patch that the board is “trying to make sure that the foundation was set up in compliance with Virginia state code as far as the IRS is concerned and the state.”

Board member Christopher Lewis said he was disappointed that board members “did not receive all the requested information on the foundation from ACPS administrators in time to fully discuss the issue at Thursday's meeting.”

Graf said there is not a specific timeline when the board members could expect to see information from the lawyers, but they hope to address the issue in closed session at a Feb. 7 meeting.

“We felt the most prudent path was to get legal advice,” she said.

See also: ACPS Board Presses Superintendent for Answers on New Foundation (Jan. 15, 2013)


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here