Alexandria Permanent Superintendent Search Underway, Input Sought

ALEXANDRIA, VA — With the search for a permanent superintendent underway at Alexandria City Public Schools, the Alexandria School Board is seeking community input.

A new online feedback form is available through Dec. 21 to share input on what community members want to see from the new superintendent. The form is available in English, Spanish, Amharic, Arabic and Dari.

"We are excited about our search for a permanent superintendent for ACPS and want to encourage all internal and external stakeholders to please share their input to help inform this search," said School Board Chair Meagan Alderton in a statement. "It is important for the School Board to hear from community members as we consider the needs of our school division and the characteristics of the next superintendent to lead ACPS in the future."

A superintendent replacement is being sought after former Superintendent Gregory Hutchings Jr. announced he would resign, effective Aug. 31. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, the school district's acting chief of human resources and executive director of human resources, was appointed as interim superintendent.

Executive search firm McPherson & Jacobson is being used as the consultant in the superintendent search process. The consultant is helping the School Board find and screen candidates. The School Board's goal is to appoint a superintendent by the end of March 2023 with a start date of July 1, 2023.

Along with the community input phase, the process will include Dec. 14 and 15 discussions with high school students, ACPS central office and school staff, PTA Council, board advisory committees, city staff and leaders, and community groups and leaders.

In January, ACPS will share a stakeholder report centered around the feedback. Applications for superintendent will close on Feb. 2, 2023, and finalists will be interviewed in March.

The new superintendent will serve a school district of 18 schools with 15,700 students who represent 100 countries and speak 124 languages. According to the job description, the superintendent must have "a proven track record of leading teams to implement equitable practices that result in improved academic achievement in a suburban/urban school division." Candidates are asked to have experience in developing a school division strategic plan, has skills in collaboration, communication, budget development, carrying out capital projects, and developing relationships with city government officials. A salary range was not provided in the job description.