Before the City Council funds any CIP monies for ACPS, it is imperative that there be an audit of all of ACPS CIP projects. Clearly, Alexandria taxpayers have well taken care of funding our school system for many years and clearly, ACPS, the School Board and Superintendent Alvin Crawley continue to move monies around from one CIP project to another, thus creating one of the greatest ponzi schemes in Alexandria.
Alexandria taxpayers only have to pay the debt service incurred by ACPS, which this year is $28.5 million. All other monies in the city budget that go to our school district are for ACPS to use as they see fit and unfortunately, our elected officials cannot tell Superintendent Crawley and all School Board members how to spend these funds. Recently, ACPS found $5 million to be shifted from Polk Elementary School over to Patrick Henry. They have also found another $15 million from another CIP project or its capital funding budget.
I do not support giving one more dime to ACPS until said audit is performed and we all know how these monies are being spent. Further, it should be mandated that Superintendent Crawley and the School Board issue a public statement that they, not the mayor/council, can spend these funds anyway they want without any accountability. This must end and the only way to find out where they have hidden these monies is through an audit.
Yes, this is about the children. However, it is just as important that all PTA members, principals, teachers and other school staff start asking questions about poor school buildings, leaking roofs, schools inhabited by rats and everything else related to the health, welfare and safety of all students to Superintendent Crawley and members of the School Board.
School maintenance is the responsibility of ACPS and not the City of Alexandria. Hopefully ACPS will tell these folks the truth about how they keep moving money around because they certainly have not been honest with Alexandria taxpayers for years.
Annabelle Fisher
Alexandria