Greetings! I am a student at the Francis C. Hammond Institute located in Alexandria, VA. I am writing to express my concern and that of many students and staff regarding the underfunding of our school. We have noticed that teachers are receiving lower raises, and the 8th-grade students were promised an end-of-the-year trip, which unfortunately did not come to fruition. Furthermore, the orchestra, band, and choir programs combined only receive $1,000 for repairs each year. The school has also claimed that it is not the wealthiest school, which we believed until recently when it was discovered that they spent almost 1 million dollars on "SMART MX" boards for every teacher. This has led us to question the honesty of the school administration towards the community, and we feel that we should take action.

In place of the canceled end-of-the-year field trip, all students are expected to pay $75 for a field day, dance, and promotion ceremony. While most students are okay with the Dance and Promotion Ceremony, we find it unbelievable that instead of the simple act of taking the 8th-grade students across the river to Washington DC, which is only a 15-minute drive, they have decided to cancel the trip altogether. We were promised an overnight trip to a Northeastern city such as New York or Philadelphia, but the school administration has not provided any information to the students and staff regarding the cancellation of the field trip.

We want answers and more funding from the ACPS school board. We hope that they will take our concerns seriously and work towards ensuring that our school receives the necessary resources to give the students and staff an enjoyable time at this school.