Alexandria, Va.,Superintendent Steps Down Days Before Schools Open

Alexandria Superintendent Morton Sherman is leaving the city’s top schools job immediately, putting the district’s leadership in limbo just days before the start of the school year.

The Alexandria School Board voted 8 to 1 to release him. The board appointed Margaret May Walsh, the school system's chief policy and student services officer, as acting superintendent. The city will launch ­searches for an interim superintendent and a new permanent schools leader.

Sherman’s departure came suddenly. Several outside observers said the move comes after months of increased tension and personality conflicts between the superintendent and a new, more hands-on school board. Seven of the nine board members took office in January.