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Alexandria School Board

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Photos: School Board Mixes with Staff, Community

The Alexandria City Public Schools school board mingled with staff members, friends and community members during an open house Thursday evening.

New and returning Alexandria City Public Schools school board members met with staff and community members during a get-together Thursday evening on Beauregard Street. The school board members from District A are Stephanie Kapsis, Karen Graf and Bill Campbell. Members from District B are Kelly Carmichael Booz, Justin Keating and Marc Williams. Members from District C are Pat Hennig, Chris Lewis and Ronnie Campbell. Ronnie Campbell and Williams are the lone incumbents on the new board.

Michael Josef Basl

4:26 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012

http://www.michaeljosefbasl.blogspot.com   more ›

Monday, December 10, 2012

School Board Considering to Zone Potomac Yard to Jefferson-Houston

Recommendation allows families to opt in to some focus schools.

The Alexandria School Board is considering placing elementary school-aged children living in the Potomac Yard area in the Jefferson-Houston School attendance zone. The School Board is planning to vote at its Dec. 20 meeting on a recommendation from Alexandria City Public Schools staff to send children to the Old Town school. The Potomac Yard area, which includes new development along Route 1 and E. Monroe Avenue as well as the Potomac Greens neighborhood (see the attached chart), had not been previously zoned to an elementary school, contrary to belief of many school board members and ACPS staff. “I think we thought all of Potomac Yard was elementary zoned for Jefferson-Houston,” Superintendent Morton Sherman said at Thursday’s board …

Gail G

11:07 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012

Linda, I'm pretty sure if you talked to the people I got rid of in my push to clean up TC, they'd tell you I was productive. It took a lot of effort, but most of the wrongdoers are gone now. Why do you continue to defend such people? They were caught red handed, so to speak. Some outgoing school board members were complicit. It hurts all kids. ACPS is a mess and what I find unproductive is people…   more ›

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Letter to the Editor: Yianilos on District B School Board Race

Former District B School Board candidate Chris Yianilos offers his endorsements in the race.

To the editor, Earlier this year I was proud to be a candidate for Alexandria City School Board for District B. Regretfully, over this past summer, I was forced to withdraw my candidacy due to a series of serious, adverse health events experienced by my family.  Since I withdrew my candidacy, many neighbors, friends and fellow citizens have asked me who of my former colleagues running for election I would support in this election. I consider myself fortunate to have had the unique opportunity of communicating and getting to know, to varying degrees, nearly all of the candidates for school board in District B. We are fortunate to have five dedicated individuals stepping forward to fill a critical role. Yet, on election day, you can only …

Edmund Lewis

9:49 am on Sunday, November 4, 2012

Keep in mind the track record of current leadership within ACPS when voting for School Board candidates on Tuesday. One of the duties of our school board members is to represent Alexandria City Public Schools before the Virginia Board of Education. The link below is of the October 25 Virginia Board of Education meeting which saw the Chairman of the Alexandria City School Board, the ACPS …   more ›

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

District A Candidates Discuss Improving Communication, Achievement

Five of the six candidates running for Alexandria School Board in District A attended a forum Monday night at Mount Vernon Community School.

Five of the six candidates for Alexandria School Board in District A attended a forum Monday evening at Mount Vernon Community School to discuss issues of student achievement, school capacity and community engagement, among others. Concerns about communication—between Alexandria City Public Schools and parents, Superintendent Morton Sherman and teachers and from the school board to the citizenry—emerged as one of biggest issues in the school district according to the candidates. “We need to do a better job across the board of communicating our goals and also balancing the need to move quickly with the need to make sure that our stakeholders have an understanding of the changes we need,” said Helen Morris, the lone incumbent running in …

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Alexandria School Board Candidate Websites

City voters are assigned to specific school board districts.

When Alexandria voters head to the polls on Nov. 6, Alexandria City School Board will be one of six offices on the ballot. In Alexandria, school board races are non-partisan. The city is divided into three school board districts. Voters may not select more than three candidates on their ballots. If you live in District A, you cannot vote for more than three of the six candidates. In the case of District C, only three candidates remain. All three are guaranteed seats. Elected board members serve three-year terms. Not sure of your school board district? Fill out your voter information on the Virginia Election and Registration Information System website, then click on "Districts." This site will also tell you of your assigned polling station…

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

District B Candidate Forum Scheduled for Oct. 8

The North Ridge Citizens Association is organizing an event for Alexandria School Board candidates.

A forum for candidates running for Alexandria School Board in District B will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Beverley Hills Community United Methodist Church, located at 3512 Old Dominion Blvd. The North Ridge Citizens Association is organizing the event. Five candidates are running for school board in District B: Kelly Carmichael Booz, Michael Brookbank, Chyrell Bucksell, Justin Keating and Marc Williams. Williams is the lone incumbent candidate in the district. All five have agreed to attend the Oct. 8 forum. Chris Yianilos withdrew his candidacy from District B in August, citing family health issues. Voters in each of the three Alexandria school board districts will vote for up to three candidates on the Nov. 6 ballot. Just three…

Edmund Lewis

8:57 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The candidates should address spending within ACPS. While the Superintendent loves to taught the line that ACPS spends most of its budget on salaries, a majority of the public would be shocked to learn of the amount of administrative salaries paid in a district so small. They would be equally as shocked to learn that teachers in Alexandria are taking home LESS pay this year because the …   more ›

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

District A Candidate Forum Scheduled for Oct. 8

Three neighborhood groups organize event for Alexandria School Board candidates.

A forum for candidates running for Alexandria School Board in District A will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Mount Vernon Community School auditorium. The forum is being hosted by three neighborhood groups—the Del Ray Citizens Association, the Upper King Street Neighborhood Association and the Warwick Village Citizens Association. The format and the moderator will be determined at a later date. The event takes the place of October's DRCA meeting. Six candidates are running for school board in District A: Bill Campbell, Karen Graf, Stephanie Kapsis, Helen Morris, Joyce Rawlings and Heath Wells. Morris is the lone incumbent. Candidate Scott Gordon dropped out of the District A race in July after Patch revealed he lied …

Heath Wells

11:35 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012

I wish I could be there also. I do believe that we need school board members that have a sense of balance and know when other events are more important than a debate, no matter the size of the audience. Since, prior to deciding to run for school board and well before this debate was scheduled, I committed to seeing an old Army buddy who is getting ready to go to Afghanistan in January for a year…   more ›

Friday, August 10, 2012

Yianilos Withdraws from School Board Race

District B candidate Chris Yianilos says family heath events "make it impossible" for him to continue his campaign.

Chris Yianilos withdrew from the race for Alexandria School Board in District B on Friday, citing family health issues. “Over the last three months, members of my immediate family have experienced adverse health events that make it impossible for me to continue my campaign to represent the citizens of Alexandria,” Yianilos wrote in a statement. “While full recoveries are expected, those of you who know me well will not be surprised that my family always has been, and remains, my top priority. At times like these, my energies and focus need to be on the home front.” The former deputy chief of staff for retired U.S. Sen. John Warner announced his candidacy in April at a meeting of the Alexandria Republican City Committee. He earned …

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Gordon Drops Out of School Board Race

District A candidate Scott Gordon lied about holding a PhD from Virginia Tech.

Scott Gordon is dropping out of the race for Alexandria School Board. On Monday, Patch revealed that the Del Ray resident and District A candidate lied about holding a PhD in psychology on a questionnaire he filled out for the Alexandria Political Action Committee for Education. In a June 27 conversation with Patch, Gordon said he recently earned a doctorate in Industrial and Organization Psychology from Virginia Tech at a satellite campus in Arlington County. A representative from Virginia Tech’s Department of Psychology said Monday there is no record of Gordon attending the school. Another representative from Virginia Tech told Patch that the Psychology Department has no offices in Arlington. Gordon sent Patch the following statement on …

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Drew Hansen

7:12 pm on Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Comments have been suspended on this story due to the amount of posts we've received that contain inappropriate language.   more ›

Monday, July 9, 2012

Gordon Lied About Holding a PhD

Alexandria School Board candidate Scott Gordon said "in a moment of weakness" he claimed to hold a doctorate in psychology.

Alexandria School Board candidate Scott Gordon lied about holding a PhD in psychology in a questionnaire he submitted to the Alexandria Political Action Committee for Education. The PAC endorsed Gordon’s candidacy in District A last week. He posted the completed questionnaire on his campaign website. In a June 27 conversation with Patch, Gordon said he recently earned a doctorate in Industrial and Organization Psychology from Virginia Tech at a satellite campus in Arlington County. A representative from Virginia Tech’s Department of Psychology said Monday there is no record of Gordon attending the school. Another representative from Virginia Tech told Patch that the Psychology Department has no offices in Arlington. When asked for comment…

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Drew Hansen

7:13 pm on Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Comments have been suspended on this story due to the amount of posts we've received that contain inappropriate language.   more ›

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