By Olivia Anderson | oanderson@alextimes.com
Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Ed.D., announced his resignation from the district this morning.
The resignation is effective Aug. 31, according to a news release.
The School Board will appoint an interim superintendent to lead the division until they find a permanent replacement, according to the release.
“It has been both an honor and a pleasure to work alongside Dr Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. He has led our school division during extremely tumultuous times and, in doing so, has modeled for all of us what it means to lead with vision, integrity, and passion. Alexandria City Public Schools has benefited tremendously from his leadership. As a board, we are sad to see him go, but we wish him the very best in his future endeavors. I have no doubt that we will see him doing great things that will impact public education beyond the boundaries of Alexandria City Public Schools,” Chair Meagan Alderton said in a statement.
Hutchings, who started in July 2018, has received some heat during his time as superintendent, most recently for asking the School Board to refrain from speaking with media following an alleged sexual assault at Minnie Howard and a deadly stabbing at Bradlee Shopping Center.
During his four years as superintendent, Hutchings accomplished feats like launching The Identity Project, a community-wide initiative to rename two schools, initiating an equity policy audit and achieving ACPS’ highest graduation rate and lowest dropout rate since the state began reporting this data.
He reflected on his time with ACPS and future plans in an email to families, stating that “it is clear to me that this is the next phase of my career as an educator and the time has come for me to take this leap of faith, expand my reach, and move the needle on racial equity in education.”
“I have faith in the team that will soon be charged with keeping ACPS moving forward. Thank you for the opportunity to lead this amazing community of educators and to serve as an example to our students, so that they, too, can have their dream job. My hope is that ACPS will continue to develop lifelong learners who will continue to pay it forward,” Hutchings said.
