By Alexa Epitropoulos | aepitropoulos@alextimes.com

Following City Manager Mark Jinks proposing a $742.3 million operating budget last week, the Alexandria City School Board has voted to increase their budget ask by $1.1 million, Alexandria City Public Schools announced in a news release Monday.

ACPS said the $1.1 million increase would fund textbooks for the third through the fifth grade, K-2 textbooks and the implementation of specialized instruction evaluation. The new funding would also go toward expanding the school district’s rugby program by introducing a stipend for coaches and assistant coaches, funding school improvement positions at elementary schools and expanding the Young Scholars program, according to the school’s news release.

In addition, the news release said the increase would contribute to funding the staff and learning materials needed to open the new Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School in the West End in September and the new building at Patrick Henry Elementary School, which will open in early 2019.

City council would have to take action on the school’s request in its add/delete process ahead of the budget adoption on May 3.