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The Alexandria City School Board adopted the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Combined Funds (CF) budget by an 8-1 vote, at the Thur., June 11, 2026, School Board meeting. The adoption of the budget comes after a year-long process, with the CF budget totalling $401.18 million.
The $401.18 million FY27 CF Budget, includes the Operating Budget of $369.44 million for the 2026-27 school year and is an increase of 2.3 percent from the FY26 Operating Budget. The CF Budget also includes the School Nutrition Fund of $12.63 million as well as Grants and Special Projects Fund of $19.11 million (which includes $1.63M transfer in from the Operating Fund). The final adopted budget incorporates adjustments recommended by the School Board and superintendent.
“Achieving a balanced budget for FY 27 involved weighing and making many difficult decisions,” said Alexandria City School Board Chair Dr. Michelle Rief. “With the reality of maintaining a variety of rising costs including healthcare premiums and other operating variables, the School Board is appreciative of ACPS staff for their collaboration in ensuring that we made careful and informed decisions. We thank the community for their engagement throughout the year and ask that they continue to be advocates for public education and Alexandria City Public Schools.”
The adopted budget includes funding to support recruitment and retention efforts including a step increase for all eligible employees, a 1.25% cost-of-living adjustment for licensed and education support professional employees and incorporating an additional top step for staff who have reached the top of their pay scale.
“This budget reflects the realities of a difficult fiscal year while keeping our focus on supporting students, staff and schools,” said ACPS Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt. “Investing in recruitment and retention remains critical to ensuring that ACPS can continue to attract and retain the talented educators and staff who serve our students each day. We are grateful for the work that went into this process and remain committed to using our resources responsibly in support of student success.”
Additionally, the FY 27 Operating Budget was developed with several expenditure reductions to align resources with available funding including:
56 positions were reduced (both vacant and filled positions)
Of these 56 total positions eliminated and reduced, 13.5 FTEs were non-instructional
51 of these positions have been placed into another ACPS position
5 have not been placed within ACPS due to inability to position match, eligibility requirements, or other factors
Elementary class size planning factor changes
Change in the employee/employer healthcare cost share.
Non-personnel reductions across the division
ACPS has provided several engagement opportunities for the community to partake in, including a Community Budget Forum, a Public Hearing held in January and several work sessions.
The full budget timeline and a summary of this year’s budget process can be found on the ACPS FY27 Budget webpage. The June 11, 2026, School Board meeting, at which the budget was adopted, is available to view online.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) serves more than 15,900 students who hail from more than 118 countries and speak 127 languages. ACPS has 18 schools, including two middle schools, two K-8 schools, one pre-K school and the internationally recognized Alexandria City High School. ACPS is committed to nurturing, educating and inspiring each student so they are prepared to thrive in college, career and community. Visit www.acps.k12.va.us.
