Alexandria prepares first school budget under new funding-by-category system

Overview

Updated Oct 2

City staff told Alexandria's council late last month how the new school-funding model will work: transfers between categories below $500,000 could be approved by the city manager; larger moves need council approval. The model takes effect with the fiscal 2028 budget, replacing the lump-sum payment with appropriations in nine categories.

The council approved the shift in March over the school board's objections. The board opened its FY 2028 budget season Sept. 24. In fiscal 2026 the district made 29 transfers between categories; two were above the new threshold.

Why it matters

Under the new funding system, Alexandria's city council gains approval power over the school board's mid-year spending shifts.

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Key Indicators

$500K

Mid-year transfer threshold

Transfers between budget categories below this amount during the year can be approved by the city manager; larger ones go to council.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Kelly Carmichael Booz

School Board Member, Alexandria City Public Schools

Leading public opposition to classification-based funding

Michelle Rief

Chair, Alexandria City School Board

Cautious on funding change, did not oppose outright

Alyia Gaskins

Mayor of Alexandria

Main proponent of classification-based funding

Abdel Elnoubi

Council Member and former School Board Member

Backed the funding change

Organizations Involved

Alexandria City School Board

Elected governing body

Overseeing FY 2028 budget process under contested funding model

The elected board governing Alexandria City Public Schools.

Alexandria City Council

Municipal legislative body

Appropriates funds to ACPS; approved classification shift

The city's legislative body, which controls school appropriations.

Alexandria City Public Schools

Public school district

Preparing FY 2028 budget under new appropriation rules

The public school district of the city of Alexandria.

Timeline

March 2026 September 2026

8 events Latest: September 29th, 2026 · 1 week ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

September 2026
City staff detail mechanics of category-based school funding
Latest Meeting

Staff told City Council ACPS would send working budget figures in December, and that mid-year transfers between categories above $500,000 would require council approval. Mayor Gaskins asked for an add-delete process draft before the Nov. 10 budget guidance session.
September 29th, 2026
Board asked to approve FY 2028 budget calendar
Decision

Board asked to approve FY 2028 calendar, process resolution, and rules; no vote recorded.
September 24th, 2026
FY 2028 budget work session
Meeting

Work session reviews FY 2028 budget calendar, process resolution, and rules of engagement.
September 17th, 2026
June 2026
Final FY 2027 budgets adopted
Decision

School Board adopts final FY 2027 combined-funds and capital improvement program budgets.
June 11th, 2026
March 2026
Council approves classification-based funding
Vote

City Council unanimously approves resolution of intent for classification-based appropriation starting FY 2028.
March 10th, 2026
School board asks for delay
Correspondence

Board sends letter requesting council postpone the classification-funding vote.
March 9th, 2026
Booz pushes back on funding change
Statement

School board member publishes statement questioning legality of classification-based funding.
March 5th, 2026
Joint work session exposes funding gap
Meeting

City manager proposes FY 2027 budget; $5.6M gap over teacher pay deal emerges.
March 4th, 2026

Scenarios

Alexandria adopts first classification-based school budget

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: City staff and council majority

The FY 2028 budget moves through the standard cycle: calendar in September, priorities in October, superintendent's proposals in November and January, adoption in spring. Council approves the budget by nine classifications in June 2027, treating the change as a presentation and transparency improvement. Both bodies work out transfer mechanics without litigation.

Court blocks Alexandria's shift to classification-based school funding

Unlikely Resolves by Jul 1, 2027

Discussed by: Board member Kelly Carmichael Booz and both bodies' legal counsel

The legal questions Booz raised about whether the change conflicts with the city charter and Virginia code lead to a lawsuit. A court grants an injunction or voids the change, forcing the council back to a lump-sum approach for FY 2028 or later budgets.

Mid-year funding transfer fight erupts between council and school board

Uncertain Resolves by Feb 1, 2028

Discussed by: ALXnow and Alexandria Brief

During FY 2028, ACPS needs to move money between categories, say, for an enrollment surge or a building emergency. Under the new rule, council must approve. The vote becomes contentious, with council members demanding justification or conditioning the transfer, straining the relationship between the two bodies.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

June 2002

New York City mayoral control of schools (2002)

New York state lawmakers gave the mayor direct control over the city's public school system, replacing the long-standing elected Board of Education with a board appointed by the mayor and a schools chancellor chosen by him.

Then

Mayor Michael Bloomberg gained near-total authority over school budgets and personnel decisions.

Now

The change was repeatedly renewed with conditions and became a recurring fight between later mayors, governors, and state lawmakers. Control over schools shifted permanently from an elected board to City Hall.

Why this matters now

Like Alexandria's measure, it pulled school budget authority away from an elected board and toward the city executive, showing how durable such shifts become once enacted.

June 2006 – July 2007

Los Angeles mayoral takeover attempt (2006-2007)

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushed state legislation to seize partial control of the Los Angeles Unified School District, arguing the elected board was failing students. State lawmakers passed the law in 2006.

Then

The California Supreme Court struck down the law in 2007, ruling it violated the state constitution.

Now

The elected board kept control, but the attempt fueled years of tension between City Hall and the district over accountability.

Why this matters now

It shows an elected city leader trying to pull school control away from an elected board, and the legal limits such attempts can hit. In Alexandria, the question is whether the council's funding move survives its own charter and code reviews.

March 1999 – February 2016

Michigan emergency manager takeover of Detroit schools (1999-2016)

Michigan's emergency manager law allowed state-appointed managers to take over Detroit Public Schools' finances and operations, overriding local elected control.

Then

Managers imposed fiscal discipline while the district accumulated debt; power swung repeatedly between elected boards and state-appointed managers.

Now

The state took over again in 2009 and 2016, cementing a pattern where an appointed authority superseded the elected school board.

Why this matters now

It is the starkest example of an appointed fiscal authority overriding an elected school board, the dynamic at stake when Alexandria's council gains budget-veto power over ACPS.