2024 General Election Candidate Profile: Michelle Rief For Alexandria School Board

Editor's note: One of the candidate meet-and-greet event dates has been updated.

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Alexandrians cast their ballots for president and Congress, the Nov. 5, 2024 general election in the City of Alexandria features local races as well. In the Alexandria School Board election, there are nine candidates running for nine seats, including Michelle Rief.

There was no primary election for the non-partisan School Board race. The nine-member School Board has three representatives each from Districts A, B and C. There are three candidates in each of the Districts A, B and C, so none are opposed on the ballot.

Rief, the current School Board chair, is running for re-election in District A. District A includes neighborhoods like Old Town, Del Ray, Potomac Yard and Arlandria.

The City of Alexandria will have the mayor, all six City Council seats and all nine Alexandria School Board seats up for election in November. Federal elections on the ballot include president, Sen. Tim Kaine's U.S. Senate seat, and Rep. Don Beyer's eighth congressional district seat. The next state-level elections will be in 2025.

Early voting for the general election will begin on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 and continue through Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. More information on how to vote is available from the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration & Elections.

Patch asked candidates for mayor, Alexandria City Council and Alexandria School Board to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are Michelle Rief's responses:

Name

Michelle Rief

Office Sought

Alexandria City School Board, District A

Campaign Website

michelleforalexandria.com

Age (As of Nov. 5 election)

52

Education

B.S., Florida State University
M.A., Ph.D., Temple University

Occupation

Experienced college professor and non-profit executive

Family

I’ve lived in Alexandria for 18 years, initially in the West End and currently residing in Del Ray. My husband and I have 3 children who attend Alexandria City Public Schools.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My husband works for the AFL-CIO ensuring working people have a voice in our political and legislative process.

Previous public office positions or appointments

I was first elected to the Alexandria City School Board in November 2018, and I’m currently running for re-election to a third term. I was the northeastern region vice chair for the Virginia School Boards Association and I currently serve on the VSBA’s Federal Relations Committee.

Why are you seeking this office?

I’m seeking this office because I believe every child is unique, capable and deserving of a great education. I also believe that strong public schools foster greater democracy and equity in our community. Sadly, over the last several years we’ve seen public education come under attack by national groups looking to play politics and defund public schools. We can’t let this happen. Alexandria is a thriving community that understands our children and our schools are worthy of our investment. When we unite around our shared value of investing in our young people, we will have the greatest impact.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

Having served two terms on the school board, including the past year as chair, I’ve learned that it takes a real, sustained commitment to ensure that all of our children receive the very best education that our city can provide. I’m grateful for the other candidates running for school board who have shown a willingness to roll up their sleeves and put in the hard work necessary to ensure the success of Alexandria’s students.

What do you see as the top issues facing your city, and how do you address them in your campaign platform?

There are three top issues facing our schools.

First is to increase student achievement in ACPS by providing high-quality instruction and support services to all students. This is the core mission of all schools. Accomplishing this mission requires prioritizing staff retention at all levels through competitive pay, meaningful professional development, and making ACPS an employer of choice in the region.

Second, as the population in Alexandria continues to grow, enrollment in our schools has been increasing. This growth has been uneven across the city leading to class-size discrepancies and a rise in the number of students assigned to schools outside of their neighborhood. We must tackle this challenge through a collaborative redistricting process and communicate a clear vision for how ACPS will accommodate future growth.

Third, Alexandria has the largest high school in Virginia. This fall we opened a new Minnie Howard campus and launched the Academies at Alexandria City. As we grow into this new high school model, we must evaluate how it’s working and pursue continuous improvement to ensure our students have a positive learning experience and graduate prepared to achieve their post-secondary goals.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

When I first joined the school board in 2019, many of our schools were in a state of disrepair. Since then I’ve worked hard to reverse this trend by pushing for accelerated maintenance and modernization of our school buildings. We’ve opened two new schools since I joined the board and purchased a “swing space” to support additional school modernizations.

Another accomplishment was guiding our school division through a global pandemic. While supporting my three children with their virtual learning, I worked hard to represent parents, students and staff as we navigated constantly-changing CDC guidance. I pushed to get students back to in-person learning in the safest way possible while balancing the needs of our diverse community.

In 2021 the Code of Virginia was amended to permit school boards to legally recognize and bargain with employee associations. I’m proud to have led the effort on our school board to pass a resolution authorizing collective bargaining for ACPS licensed and support staff. Working collaboratively, we can set a standard that will attract and retain the best teachers and staff.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

You’re invited to attend a meet and greet with the candidates for school board in district A on the following dates:

Sunday, Oct. 6, 3 p.m. at Hume Springs Park, 100 Dale Street, RSVP link
Saturday, Oct. 26, 3 p.m. at Montgomery Park, 901 N. Royal Street, RSVP link