Alexandria City Public School Superintendent Gregory Hutchings Jr. will step down at the end of the summer, the school district announced Friday. Hutchings, who has served in the role for nearly four years, said in an interview Thursday that he was leaving his job to lead an education consulting firm he recently founded, Revolutionary ED, dedicated to dismantling systemic racism in American public schools. . The president of the Hutchings and Alexandria School Board, Megan Alderton, said in separate interviews Thursday that the principal’s resignation was neither desirable nor requested by the school board. “I think as a board we are definitely sad to see him leave,” Alderton said. “However, Dr. Hutchings still has a lot to do. So we respect that. “ Hutchings, 45, said he was saddened to be leaving Alexandria, the school system in which he was once a student and whom he had long wanted to lead as an inspector. But pursuing anti-racism work in Alexandria has led him to believe it is time to apply his talents to similar challenges in schools across the country, he said. “As we have been on this journey against racism in recent years, I am really more interested in defending myself to continue on this anti-racist journey beyond Alexandria,” he said. “I am mobilizing with faith; to strengthen and support on a larger scale than just here.” The school board has known about Hutchings’s imminent release for some time, Alderton said. But Hutchings issued a formal notice – and his resignation was formally accepted by the board – at a special meeting Friday morning. Hutchings’ last day at work will be on August 31st. Alderton said the school district would work to appoint a temporary inspector as soon as possible and then launch a nationwide search for Hutchings’s permanent successor. Hutchings’s tenure was determined in part by the coronavirus pandemic – as has been the case with inspectors across the country. Hutchings oversaw an almost overnight transition to online learning in March 2020, before slowly guiding students back to hybrid and then fully in-person learning. Dealing with the Hutchings pandemic was characterized by exhaustively detailed presentations and updates on school district coronavirus data, health initiatives and reopening plans. A handful of school committee discussions intensified, but Alexandria generally experienced far less turmoil and frustration over pandemic e-learning and security policies from other areas – although some were upset by Hutchings’ decision to move one of the his two children in a private school during the pandemic. The Superintendent of Alexandria changes one of his two children into a private school Hutchings also placed great emphasis on tribal justice during his tenure. Under his leadership, Alexandria adopted in June 2020 a five-year strategic plan “Equality for All”. The plan aimed to eliminate gaps in opportunities and achievements by 2025. It also called for a “political justice check” of all Alexandrian school policies to address systemic racial inequalities. Hutchings started this audit in the school year 2020-2021. Alexandria also conducted two trials on the climate of justice, in which students, staff and families shared their feelings about their experiences in the school system. And the school district has published a “stock checklist” that allows members of the public to check real-time data on students’ academic and behavioral performance, by racial group. Asked about his proudest achievements in Alexandria, Hutchings pointed out all these developments arising from the stock program. He also mentioned the renaming of two schools, which previously bore the names of historical figures who had deeply racist beliefs about Black Americans. “This ACPS 2025 Equity for All project, I believe, prepares us for success and gives us the roadmap we need to tackle systemic racism in Alexandria public schools,” Hutchings said. Alderton also highlighted the work of the supervisor with equity in particular. However, he noted other developments, including the fact that all Alexandria schools were accredited in 2019 for the first time in the department’s history and that, under Hutchings, Alexandria achieved the highest early graduation rate in 2021 (91 percent) and the lowest dropout rate (5 percent) since Virginia started reporting this data in 2008. He further praised his “really smooth” budget, noting that the operating budgets approved by Alexandria under his leadership in 2022 and 2023 focused on employee compensation. “I just have to say that under the leadership of Dr. “Hutchings, I’ve seen such amazing growth in our school,” Alderton said. “I know he has the confidence that we can move this work forward.” Unlike some neighborhoods – especially Loudoun County Public Schools – Alexandria has not seen significant parental outrage over its racial justice initiatives. What has caused controversy is a long-running debate about the proper role of the police in schools. As the students of Alexandria returned to the classroom, the attacks increased. Outside of campus, a student was stabbed. In the spring of 2021, the City Council of Alexandria voted to remove the police from the city’s schools, against the wishes of the inspector and his top officials. The following academic year saw a series of violent incidents as students returned to campus, many of them for the first time since the pandemic began. Faced with criticism and parental concern, the council eventually overturned and voted to reinstate police in schools. However, some violence continued. most recently, an 18-year-old high school student in the city of Alexandria was stabbed to death in a mall near the campus. In late April, the school council approved a proposal by Hutchings to set up an advisory team to work to redefine the relationship between schools and city police. Meanwhile, the board is asking for at least one more year of funding for the school police, a request that the city council has not yet responded to as it works through its budget process. Prior to joining the Alexandria School District, Hutchings served as an inspector at Shaker Heights, Ohio, and as a teacher, principal, and administrator of school systems scattered throughout Virginia and Tennessee. He holds an interdisciplinary degree from Old Dominion University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from George Mason University and a doctorate in educational policy from William & Mary. Hutchings’s contract, which was renewed in June 2021, was due to expire in 2025.
