James Blair Middle School renaming effort moves forward after school board vote

WILLIAMSBURG – A committee will be established to explore the possibility of renaming James Blair Middle School.

The Williamsburg-James City County School Board voted in favor of forming the committee by a vote of 5-1 during a public meeting on Tuesday. Board member Michael Hosang voted against the proposal, while member Daniel Cavazos was absent.

The name change request was submitted last year by the Campaign for Honorable and Inclusive School Names.

Born in Scotland, James Blair was an influential Anglican minister who co-founded William & Mary in 1693 per Royal Charter from King William III and Queen Mary II. Several years later, while serving as the college’s president, he successfully convinced the General Assembly to relocate Virginia’s capital to Williamsburg, then called Middle Plantation.

Blair was also a slaveholder who introduced the idea of slave-owning to colleges and churches during the colonial period.

More than twenty citizens showed up to speak both in favor and against the proposed renaming. Emotions seemed to run high at times.

“The name of a school is more than just a title. It represents the values we uphold and the history we choose to honor,” said Samuel Ray, co-chair of the York-James City-Williamsburg NAACP education committee. “We have an opportunity here not to erase history but to build a future where all students, regardless of background, can walk into a school named after someone who truly represents the best of our shared values.”

Susan Franz questioned whether the division should prioritize name changes at a time when more funds are needed to retain good teachers and help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss. She held up the front page of a recent newspaper article in the Richmond-Times Dispatch, which stated that Virginia students rank last in the U.S. for math recovery.

“From a financial standpoint, in a division where a point of contention is teacher pay, we don’t have the extra funds required to cover all of the administrative costs related to a name change,” Franz said. “If you absolutely insist on a name change, I strongly suggest that it not be a personal name. That way, future generations cannot take offense and have to rename schools again.”

Current WJCC student Jaida McFadden said renaming the school would signal inclusivity, helping to ensure that Black students feel welcome there.

“This is more than just a change of signage,” said McFadden. “This is a declaration that deeply affects Black students and our sense of belonging.”

Donna Mellis argued that leaving the school’s name in place would honor the community’s past while providing schools with an opportunity to teach the full history surrounding James Blair. She urged taxpayers to participate in future meetings about the issue.

“I’m not discounting anything about the history of all of this, because it is important. My grandmother came to this country as an indentured servant, which is a slave,” Mellis said. “I haven’t heard many taxpayers speaking this evening. I think it’s important for taxpayers to be here to speak about this.”

The cost to rename the school is estimated to be about $92,000, which will include replacing signs, resurfacing the gymnasium floor and purchasing new athletic uniforms. That estimates was drafted in 2017, so the actual costs are expected to be higher today.

J.W. Caterine, a member of the school name change campaign, asked the board to include the entire community in the renaming process.

“School names impact the whole community, not just people who attend the school or who are parents of the children at the school,” Caterine said. “I think it would be great if the school division could include as much of the community as possible when it comes to renaming the school.”

The topic of community participation ultimately became a point of contention among school board members later in the evening. Board member Hosang said the renaming committee should include several local residents and not be limited to people directly related to the school or living in the attendance zone.

“This is not a fund that James Blair has. It’s a fund from Williamsburg and James City County. If we’re going to be paying for a school name change, I would recommend that we have individuals from across Williamsburg James City County on the committee,” Hosang said.

Hosang’s proposal was not approved by the other board members, leading Hosang to vote against creating the committee.

However, the board voted unanimously to approve a separate proposal by member Randy Riffle, who pushed to change the committee’s structure so that it will include one board member representing the City of Williamsburg and one representing James City County. The original group structure was designed to only include a single board member.

Board chair Sarah Ortego said the vote to establish the committee is not a vote to change the school’s name per se. The committee will undertake the task of soliciting feedback from the entire community and submitting recommendations to the board. Residents, she said, can also share their views on the issue by emailing or calling the school board’s members.

The school could officially be renamed before the start of the 2026 school year depending on the recommendations of the committee and the vote of the board.

Ortego encouraged community members to be respectful of one another and the board amid the process.

“There are two narratives,” Ortego said. “If we can create a space where those two narratives can come together and have discussions and try to understand each other, then that space is called freedom, where people can have their opinions and voice them and still get along with their neighbor.”