At its May 4 meeting, the Alexandria City School Board announced that Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt would remain in place as ACPS Superintendent. Kay-Wyatt has served as Interim-Superintendent since September 2022 and was also the ACPS head of Human Resources from 2021 to 2022. She is the first Black woman to assume the permanent superintendent role.
“It is an honor, it is a pleasure, it is an exciting moment, it is long overdue,” Board Chair Meagan Alderton said before making the announcement. “[I] have to thank [Kay-Wyatt] for digging in and even stepping up to this job at a time of uncertainty, at a time of difficulty,” she said.
“I would like to thank the school board for accepting me to lead a division of such diversity,” Kay-Wyatt said. “To be sitting in this role before my colleagues, before students who look like me, it is truly an honor to serve as the first Black superintendent for Alexandria City Public Schools.”
Various board members expressed their support as well.
“Thank you for giving yourself to our school district,” said member Christopher Harris. “I feel we have a future, a bright future. Thank you for giving your all to the city, and we look forward to working with you.”
“You have literally shown the definition of persistence and of determination,” added student representative Torenzo Ricks.
Vice-Chair Jacinta Greene shared the same sentiment.
“I just want to thank you. Losing a superintendent is hard . . . it’s been a lot,” she said. “The time you came in was a tumultuous time, we were a new board . . . You helped us come together as a board, [and] you did a fantastic job.”
Kay Wyatt ended this segment of the meeting with hope for the future.
“I look forward to continuing the work that’s ahead of us for our students, for our staff, and our greater community. The work we do is hard, but when we come together, anything is possible . . . Thank you all, now it’s time to get to work.”
