City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 4, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CITY COUNCIL-SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION REFORM AD HOC COMMITTEE
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Recommendation of the City Council School Board Election Reform Ad Hoc Committee.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of Findings from the City Council-School Board Election Reform Ad Hoc Committee.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City pursue a legislative process to amend the City Charter to change School Board members’ terms from three years to four years, beginning in 2033, to align School Board elections with Virginia gubernatorial elections.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
On June 23, 2026, City Council adopted a resolution establishing a process to review election reforms related to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) School Board governance. The resolution appointed two City Council members, Canek Aguirre and Sandy Marks, and two School Board members, Abdulahi Abdalla and Kelly Carmichael Booz, to serve on the School Board Election Reform Ad Hoc Committee (subsequently referred to as the Ad Hoc Committee). City Council Member Abdel Elnoubi and School Board Member Ashley Simpson Baird served as alternates (Attachment 1).
The Ad Hoc Committee established four shared goals for the initiative: (1) support leadership continuity, (2) promote competitive elections, (3) ensure representative elections, and (4) strengthen effective School Board governance and oversight. Many of the reforms considered to meet these goals require amendments to the City Charter and carry significant civic and political implications. Given the challenges associated with amending the City Charter, the Ad Hoc Committee agreed that pursuing reforms before 2030 would not be feasible.
The Ad Hoc Committee reviewed various scenarios combining different reform options to identify potential areas of agreement and compromise. Members agreed that four-year terms could address current challenges and strengthen leadership continuity on the School Board. Other proposals, including staggered terms and changes to the School Board’s size, did not receive consensus.
The proposed reform would establish concurrent four-year terms for all nine School Board members beginning in 2033, aligning School Board elections with Virginia gubernatorial elections, as shown in the figure below. The proposal would retain the existing nine-member School Board size and make no changes to district representation. They also discussed the potential of moving City Council to four-year terms in alignment with the School Board, though that proposal is outside the scope of work for the Ad Hoc Committee.
Figure 1.
The table below depicts the transition of School Board elections from 3-year terms in 2027 and 2030 to 4-year terms starting in 2033.
DISCUSSION:
In May 2026, former School Board Chair Dr. Michelle Rief submitted a memo to the Mayor and City Council (Attachment 2) proposing the creation of a committee to develop recommendations and a timeline for a City Charter amendment. The proposal was intended to advance the School Board’s November 7, 2024, Resolution to Adjust the Alexandria City School Board Election Cycle (Attachment 3).
The School Board has discussed election structure over multiple terms in recent years. These discussions have been driven by a desire for more competitive elections, to improve stability and continuity within the nine-member School Board, and to minimize turnover.
Changes to election procedures generally require amendments to the City Charter, meaning that proposed reforms must proceed through the Virginia General Assembly. Coordination among Alexandria’s elected bodies and the local legislative delegation is therefore essential to increase the likelihood that any proposed changes will be approved.
In response, City Council adopted the Resolution Creating City-ACPS Ad Hoc Committee on ACPS School Board Election Reform on June 23, 2026 (Attachment 1). The Ad Hoc Committee consisted of Councilmembers Canek Aguirre and Sandy Marks and School Board members Abdulahi Abdalla and Kelly Carmichael Booz, who represented their respective governing bodies. The Ad Hoc Committee met three times between July and October 2026 to discuss and evaluate potential School Board election reforms.
AD HOC COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT AND FINDINGS
Shared Goals
At its first meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee identified four shared goals: (1) leadership continuity, (2) competitive elections, (3) a representative democratic process, and (4) effective governance. The Ad Hoc Committee sought an election structure that would encourage qualified candidates to serve on the School Board, support effective decision-making and long-term strategic planning, and ensure that the interests of students and residents are represented.
Timeline
At its second meeting, staff reviewed potential legislative pathways for pursuing reforms in 2027 or 2030, as outlined in a memo to the Ad Hoc Committee (Attachment 4). The Ad Hoc Committee discussed concerns about pursuing changes in 2027. Amendments affecting School Board size, staggered terms, or term lengths in 2027 would require an emergency clause, which would necessitate a higher threshold of legislative support: 80 votes in the House of Delegates and 32 votes in the Senate. Members also noted that there would be limited time to build consensus with the local legislative delegation and conduct public engagement before the 2027 legislative session.
The Ad Hoc Committee concluded that 2030 or later would provide a more workable timeline for pursuing reforms.
Staggered Terms
The Ad Hoc Committee continued its discussion of staggered terms by reviewing Loudoun County, VA’s model, under which its nine-member School Board serves four-year staggered terms. In that system, four members are elected in one cycle and five in the next. School Board Member Booz identified staggered terms as a potential way to improve leadership continuity. City Council Members questioned whether staggering would meaningfully reduce turnover, noting that incumbent decisions to seek reelection and voter choices may have a greater influence. Members also discussed how staggered elections could create different election cycles for City Council and the School Board. The Ad Hoc Committee did not reach consensus on this option.
Board Size
The Ad Hoc Committee also considered reducing the size of the School Board. Members noted that the School Board’s historical size was connected to efforts to increase representation and diversity. Councilmember Aguirre advocated for reducing the School Board’s size, citing the size of Alexandria’s School Board relative to those in peer jurisdictions that oversee larger student populations. Board Member Abdalla opposed the change. Board Member Booz said she would consider a smaller Board only if paired with staggered terms. School Board members questioned whether evidence demonstrated that School Board size affects candidate recruitment or retention. They also noted that the School Board’s new committee structure had created additional opportunities for collaboration among members.
The Ad Hoc Committee further discussed whether election structure was the primary driver of School Board turnover and considered other factors that could affect student outcomes, superintendent retention, and School Board candidate recruitment. These included: compensation, the increasingly contentious national environment surrounding public education and school boards, and the demands of serving on a school board while balancing employment and family responsibilities. Separately, the School Board is reviewing member compensation, with the goal of voting on potential changes by December 31, 2026. This timeline would allow any approved changes to apply to members elected in 2027.
Scenarios
At its final meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee emphasized the importance of advancing recommendations that could secure sufficient support from both City Council and the School Board.
School Board member Booz presented a series of election scenarios involving different school board sizes, election cycles, district and at-large representation, and concurrent or staggered terms. The Ad Hoc Committee considered 18 combinations of potential reforms (Attachment 5).
Following a series of votes, the Committee determined that only one of the 18 options received at least three affirmative votes and met the agreed upon threshold to advance to City Council.
RECOMMENDATION: Retain a nine-member School Board and adopt concurrent four-year terms. The proposed transition would occur as follows:
• 2030: All nine School Board members would be elected to three-year terms as part of the transition to the new election cycle.
• 2033 and thereafter: All nine members would be elected concurrently to four-year terms, with elections held every four-years to align with Virginia gubernatorial elections.
• Board composition: The existing nine-member Board would be retained, with no changes to Board size or district representation.
• Future review: Establish a regular process to assess whether the adopted election structure continues to meet the Ad Hoc Committee’s goals, with 2040 identified as the target year for the next review.
As recorded in the discussion, this term length reform recommendation received three affirmative votes, from Councilmember Marks, School Board member Booz, and School Board member Abdalla, and one negative vote from Councilmember Aguirre. All members of the Ad Hoc Committee agreed that a regular cadence for the two bodies to assess election structures in the future should be established.
Legislative Process and Legal Considerations
Implementing four-year terms will require an amendment to the City Charter. The Committee recommended pursuing the legislative change in 2028. Preparatory steps before then would include briefing the full General Assembly delegation, securing bill patrons, engaging committee chairs and legislative leadership, engaging the administration, and building the broad support needed to meet the required voting thresholds.
As with other legislation, a charter amendment bill may be amended by the General Assembly after its introduction.
The Committee identified voter education as a key consideration in changing the election cycle. Members felt that allowing sufficient time before implementation would provide a better opportunity to communicate the transition timeline clearly to voters.
The Virginia Voting Rights Act prohibits voter dilution and restricts changes to election practices that impair the ability of members of a protected class to nominate or elect candidates of their choice. Certain changes, including modifications to election districts and conversions of single-district seats to at-large representation, are covered practices that require a certificate of no objection from the Attorney General. Changes to term lengths, however, are not considered covered practices under the Act.
School Board and City Council elections are generally required to occur on the same election cycle. This requirement may be modified through a City Charter amendment and/or a statutory exemption, as applicable.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Memo from School Board Chair Michelle Rief to Mayor and City Council
2. School Board Resolution to Adjust the Alexandria City School Board Election Cycle
3. City Council Resolution Creating City-ACPS Ad Hoc Committee on ACPS School Board Election Reform
4. 2027 Charter Amendment with Emergency Clause - Considerations and Risks
5. Election Scenarios Reviewed by the Ad Hoc Committee, October 20, 2026
STAFF:
Alethea Predeoux, Deputy City Manager
Benjamin Naidorf, Assistant City Attorney
Robert Stackhouse, Analyst, Office of Analytics, Innovation, and Data
Angela Turner, City Registrar
Dana Wedeles, Strategic Initiatives Officer, Office of Analytics, Innovation, and Data
James Deaton, ACPS, Senior Clerk of the School Board
Robert Falconi, APCS, Division Counsel