In light of the impending departures of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt and Alexandria City High School King Street Campus Principal Ashley Carter-Sinclair, the Editorial Board feels that it is both necessary and appropriate to address the clear pattern of staff outflux within Alexandria City Public Schools. As students and active members of our community, we are concerned by the fragile educational and administrative environment created by the constant resignation of staff at every level.

This revolving door of leadership began with the resignation of former Executive Principal Peter Balas in 2023. Since then, ACHS has experienced one of its most tumultuous periods, from the restructuring of the school’s administration— which forced administrators to reapply for their positions— to the implementation of weapons abatement and Minga systems to, most recently, the opening of the new Minnie Howard campus and rollout of a new transportation system.

Although the High School Project had been in development for several years, its implementation was far from smooth, and ACHS administrators were tasked with facilitating a project whose inception they had no role in shaping.

Following the 2024-25 school year, Executive Principal Alexander Duncan resigned.

In a letter to the School Board following Duncan’s resignation, the Parent-Teacher-Student Association highlighted these issues, citing a “pattern of indifference from Central Office” that was harming retention in ACPS and signaling the need for immediate action. 

Nearly a year later, the PTSA’s concerns remain unacknowledged, and the issues it raised have only escalated. 

These patterns of dysfunction aren’t exclusive to ACHS, either. The planned conversion of K-8 schools into middle schools, scandals within the Central Office, and the repeated failure to adequately address teacher cost-of-living adjustments spell out the same message: the needs of teachers, students, and parents are not being prioritized by current leadership.

These issues coincide with the district’s ongoing cycle of resignations, hirings, and decreases in student enrollment. But, what is the root cause of the school district’s staffing crisis? While no single issue can fully explain it, there are a couple key indicators that ACHS administrators face an unsustainable working environment. 

The constant stream of changes at ACHS, often introduced in attempts to accommodate its massive population, places enormous pressure on administrators. Every year brings new adjustments. Between schedule changes, a new phone ban, rewriting of general rules, or fluctuating security measures, the school lacks consistency in nearly every aspect of daily operations.  

Almost a year after Duncan’s departure and the appointment of Interim Executive Principal Lance Harrell, ACHS still has no permanent executive leadership. That instability will continue as we enter next school year with a new string of vacancies.

As students in the ACHS community, we recognize the immense challenge of managing the largest high school in Virginia— a four-campus institution serving more than 4,600 students. We also recognize the consistent efforts of administrators and teachers to maintain a positive school environment. 

However, when problems arise, the solutions offered often resemble bandages over wounds that require stitches. 

At what point do we accept that the changes being made merely accommodate an institutionally failing system rather than solve its problems? The reality is simple: 4,600 students is too many for one high school to effectively manage.

We are losing capable leadership to a dysfunctional system. Our people aren’t the problem — our structure is. While the Central Office has the authority to enact meaningful systematic reform, its apathy has become increasingly evident. Rather than implementing substantial change, it delegates its responsibility downward to administrators and teachers, who can only do so much to mitigate deeply ingrained institutional issues. 

We can no longer treat a structural failure with temporary fixes. The remedy must come from an institutional overhaul, and the Editorial Board calls on the Central Office to create a system capable of retaining and supporting the people who make ACPS function. 

Ask not what other districts are doing, but what our district is failing to do. The solutions exist. It is time to find them.

*It is not in the common practice of The Editorial Board to comment on personnel issues in order to protect the staff members in our community, but we felt this issue was too pressing to restrain from comment. 

Editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editorial Board, which is comprised of  Theogony’s editing team: Julia Gwin and Rozalia Finkelstein; co-editors in chief, news editor; Isabel Shultz, opinion editor; Max Carpenter, and features editor; Nadja Duss; Leo Maucieri, tracking and circulation manager. Staff Adviser Kamilah Lawson is not involved in the writing or editing process of editorials.