By Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed.D

The next leg of our Alexandria City Public Schools’ mission, “one team, one journey” gets underway as the 2024-2025 school year begins and we are “resetting the bar” with the opening of our new Academies at Alexandria City to best prepare our students to achieve their goals for the future and navigate life’s challenges. As Alexandria’s superintendent, I welcome our team of dedicated educators who devote their time and efforts, charting a course for how they can educate, guide and inspire our students.

It is reassuring to see the familiar faces of our returning licensed and other staff members who contribute to excellence in the education of our students from pre-K through 12th grade. I am grateful for your continuing commitment to our students and the many programs our schools offer to the Alexandria community. I am also pleased to welcome our new staff members as you invest your time and offer your talents as part of the ACPS system.

It is through our extraordinary staff recruitment and retention efforts over the past year that we are able to fill roles in our classrooms and other positions division-wide. The support of our Alexandria City School Board and City Council has enabled our school division to successfully address compensation for ACPS teachers and administrators in order to remain competitive with surrounding jurisdictions. I am most appreciative of the support of our Alexandria community which realizes the importance of investing in a strong public education system.

I am proud to say staff within our 18 schools strive to create an inclusive and engaging environment where students feel motivated to learn. As the day begins for many of our students aboard an ACPS bus, our drivers set the tone for the school day with a pleasant smile and kind words. Within each school, our principals, assistant principals, teachers and support staff provide every student with an exceptional educational experience. The work within our schools each day is in true alignment with the ACPS Equity for All Strategic Plan as we identify innovative ways to create a culture and school experience that provides students, staff and families a sense of belonging.

Our school division is forever grateful for our community partners, PTAs and the more than 5,000 volunteers whose collective efforts play a large role in helping us address educational disparities across economics, language and race. Whether it is by contributing needed supplies, serving as chaperones, tutors, athletic assistants or mentoring our students, it is this community connection that makes for a stronger public education system. As our partners and volunteers become a vital resource within our school division, it is a clear sign to our students and staff that our community values education and is willing to give it their all to support our success.

As the new academic year begins, I would like to encourage family engagement within our schools provided through our Family and Community Engagement Center. FACE serves as a central resource for family engagement, helping to strengthen family and school partnerships, cultural understanding and academic achievement.

As FACE assists our families in navigating the school system, it offers support and opportunities for families to engage in their child’s academic experience. This interaction is beneficial for all, as family and community engagement in our schools is known to contribute to improved student achievement, positive attendance, fewer disciplinary issues, improved parent-teacher and teacher-student relationships and a productive school environment.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Intelligence plus character – that is the true goal of education.”

With those words in mind, ACPS’ team of educators aim to provide new opportunities for our students during the 2024-25 school year, encouraging them to explore their interests and hone their skills so they can become the individuals they aspire to be as they realize a myriad of accomplishments.

The writer is superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools.