School Board Selects “Open Heart” Design for New George Mason Elementary School

The Alexandria School Board approved the “Option A – Open Heart” approach to modernizing George Mason Elementary School.

While the board voted 7-2 for Option A, it was a contentious vote, with two abstentions from members Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi, both of whom said the board and ACPS staff were in the process of finding the best Options did not do their “due diligence” to replace the 85-year-old school. Both are also running for city council in November.

“I don’t feel like we as a school board did our due diligence to make the best possible decision for Georgia Mason,” Greene told the board. “I am pleased that George Mason has a new school. I’m happy for the community. Yes, I really am, but there hasn’t been due diligence done for what the community, the entire community, has asked for, and that’s why I don’t feel comfortable making a decision tonight.”

The Open Heart concept is a U-shaped design that focuses on an academic core, with the more community-oriented spaces located at the rear of the school. The 85-year-old school is undergoing a complete remodel as ACPS plans to move students to the swing rooms at 1703 N. Beauregard Street until the new school opens in summer 2027.

“Once It is all Completed, I knowledge was go To have a Opportunity To celebrate a great educational Space for students,” Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt told the board.

Plans to modernize the school date back to 2019, and a feasibility study was published in 2021. The three options under consideration were announced last month.

Greene, along with board member Tammy Ignacio, wanted more options presented to the board.

“I did not feel like the entire community was heard in this process and as an elected board member, I and other school board members asked for a fourth option that would have saved the Green Party majority and they were not given the opportunity,” said Greene told ALXnow. “There was no majority on the board that wanted an additional option to be proposed for one reason or another. Therefore, I could not make an informed decision based on the information given.”

There are currently 327,760 square feet of open space at the school as it stands, and ACPS says the Open Heart concept would allow for a reduction of less than 2% to 314,437 square feet.

Ignacio, on the other hand, voted with the majority in favor of the project because of what she said were “deplorable conditions” at the aging school.

“It’s unsafe and it’s unfair for our children and our educators to work and go to school in it,” Ignacio said. “Yes, I wanted to see a different design. Yes, I asked for a fourth option, maybe a fifth, but I will not delay a process when a building is as deplorable as George Mason.”

Elnoubi said the three options were similar and had the same tradeoffs.

“I wanted us to pause and explore more options to preserve all open space and maximize green space, such as a three-story design,” Elnoubi told ALXnow. “Each of the proposals will result in the loss of between 3 and 8% of the open space and around half of the green space, and we have limited open and green space in our city. This decision will have an impact on our city for decades and is being made out of fear of delaying project completion. This is not an excuse for not conducting more due diligence and exploring creative options for preserving open and green spaces. I don’t think we can find time in the schedule to give ourselves more time now. I am also not satisfied with the public engagement process.”

Board member Ashley Simpson Baird, whose children attended George Mason, burst into tears during the meeting.

“I think a key point that has been missed in this conversation is why we are in this very abbreviated phase right now,” Simpson Baird said. “That’s because 14 months ago the city manager said we had to cut the CIP (Capital Improvement Program), and so we went through a nine to 10 month process to get money back for this project, which allowed us to have this designs at this point. Had that not happened, we would have had a longer community input process. We could have done more of this engagement. We could have heard more, and we probably would have had a more deliberate process for selecting these concept designs. But that’s not where we’re at yet, and I think that’s a really important contextual variable to think about.”

Board member Christopher Harris said the board needed to act to keep the project on schedule.

“This work began some time ago,” Harris said. We commissioned architects and engineers to develop three designs. These were based on community feedback, careful consideration by the project team and the understanding that construction schedules are important. We are now at a point where there cannot be many deviations from the schedule we have set. This costs money, and … it also impacts future projects.”

Board President Michelle Rief said she would be willing to put the issue to a vote.

“I feel like I did my due diligence,” Rief said.