The Alexandria City School Board has voted to appoint Ramee Gentry to the position of Chair of the Board and Cindy Anderson to Vice Chair of the Board for the next year. Virginia School Boards are required to have annual leadership elections.
“I am looking forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to bring much-needed capacity to our schools, complete the redistricting process and ensure the ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan goals that focus on high-performance of our school division are met. This is another opportunity to strengthen the collaboration and communication which has brought us success over the past few years,” said Gentry.
Gentry is currently Chair of the Redistricting Steering Committee and has overseen the process for the past year, while Anderson has been a member of the Redistricting Steering Committee. Both were appointed to the School Board in January 2016.
“After four years it is a great time to pass the baton to new leadership. We have weathered many initiatives and transitions over the course of two Boards and there is plenty of work I know that the next chair and vice chair will complete with integrity,” said Karen Graf, former School Board Chair for the last four years.
A year ago, the School Board launched the ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan that is a roadmap for high academic performance, as well as a vision for community engagement, and financial transparency.
Over the past four years, the School Board has tackled the issue of overcrowding coupled with growing enrollment and aging school facilities. They have also strengthened relationships with the City Council, working with them and the community to find ways to solve the issues facing both ACPS and the City through collaboration, as well as improving the transparency around large-scale construction projects and finances.
The School Board has also recently completed a three-year review of all polices, which underpin the day-to-day work of the school division.
“We continue to bring to fruition and build on the plans that the community and Superintendent have worked on together with the School Board. We want to make sure we continue to partner with the City Council and community in ensuring every student succeeds,” said Anderson.
The chair and vice chair are elected each year for a one-year term in Virginia. School Board members are elected every three years.