Proposed Staggered Terms To Be Discussed By Alexandria School Board

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As the Alexandria School Board considers seeking staggered terms for its members, officials from school districts with staggered terms will participate in a panel discussion Thursday.

Staggered terms, which means School Board members would be elected in different years, has been an idea been floated by the School Board since early 2023. Currently, the nine-member School Board is elected at the same time and have terms end at the same time. There are three members each from Districts A, B and C. The next School Board election will be November 2024, at the same time as the next mayoral and City Council elections.

As the school district has grappled with turnover of School Board members and leadership in recent years, staggered terms would allow some members to be retained after elections. According to a May 18 presentation to the School Board, an average 56 percent of School Board seats have changed each election cycle since 1997.

Data presented by Alexandria City Public Schools attempts to show a correlation between School Board and superintendent turnover. Since 1994 when the School Board was first elected rather than appointed, there have been six superintendents serving and interim superintendents in between. ACPS said superintendents have left an average nine months after a new School Board takes office.

One possible downside of staggered terms could be voters waiting longer to change the School Board direction if they want, according to ACPS.

A public hearing was held April 20 followed by a work session on May 18. The ACPS community was surveyed on the topic from April 12 to 26. The survey with 450 responses found 74 percent agree that staggering terms would improve continuity of operations for ACPS while 17 percent disagree.

A total of 44 percent agree staggering terms would improve accountability, while 26 percent were neutral and 24 percent disagree.

According to the School Board presentation, City Council must approve proposed charter revisions to alter the Alexandria School Board's terms, then state legislation must be approved.

The staggered term panel discussion on Thursday will include officials from Falls Church City and Arlington County, where School Boards have staggered terms. Panel participants will include Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan, Arlington School Board member Reid Goldstein, and Arlington County Board Vice Chair Libby Garvey.

In Falls Church City, the seven-member board serves four-year terms, with elections being held for four members in the first year and three members two years later. In Arlington County, one member is elected in the first year, one in the second year, two in the third year and one in the fourth year.

The staggered terms panel will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the School Board meeting room (1340 Braddock Place, Alexandria VA) or through Zoom.