WJCC School Board to consider new names for James Blair Middle School despite split community feedback

WILLIAMSBURG – The Williamsburg James City County (WJCC) School Board is moving forward with a plan to review new proposed names for James Blair Middle School despite divided feedback from the community.

Findings and recommendations put forth by a recently created “renaming committee” were presented during the school board’s work session on Tuesday. The committee was appointed to gather feedback from citizens and stakeholders regarding a possible school name change.

A “renaming committee” tasked with making recommendations to the boar presented its findings and conclusions to the school board during its work session on Tuesday.

The committee voted 11-0 in favor of renaming the school, with one member abstaining.

Kara Wall, the division’s strategic communications officer, said the recommendation came after the committee analyzed community survey responses, considered budget implications and reviewed the history surrounding Blair, a 17th-century reverend and slaveholder who cofounded William & Mary.

Upon presenting its findings to the board, the committee acknowledged that the majority of community members surveyed did not express support for renaming the school. Participants included James Blair teachers and staff, students who currently attend the school, parents of James Blair students, parents and guardians who live in the James Blair attendance zone and the general public.

The data yielded the following results:

• 22% of parents and guardians of James Blair students said they favor the name change, while 63% were against it, and 15% said they were not sure.
• Among current students, 30% said the name should change, while 47% did not support the renaming and 23% were not sure.
• 38% of teachers and staff at the school said they would support the name change, 48% opposed it, and 15% were unsure.
• Of parents and guardians living in the school zone, 36% said they want the name to change, while 53% did not want it to change and 11% were unsure.
• Among the general public, 43% of respondents said the name should change, 53% said the name should not change and 3% said they are unsure.

Kimberly Hundley, the board’s Parliamentarian, said she struggled to understand the committee’s recommendation given the community feedback.

“When I see the results of all of the people that were surveyed, and all of them that said no, but the committee came back with yes, how much was the survey taken into account?” she asked. “It doesn’t add up to me.”

Board member Daniel Cavazos said he was concerned that the students’ views and community feedback were not given enough consideration by the renaming committee.

“I think that the survey really gives a voice to the community and, in my opinion, the community has a precedence over a committee,” he said.

Cavazos quoted one student survey respondent who wrote, “Our first president George Washington had slaves, and he can be found on our money.”

Wall said that the committee did discuss the survey results but was “grappling with that information as well as the historical information received.” She added that even though the majority of respondents did not support the name change, the percentage of “yes” votes was significantly higher compared to a previous survey.

In 2017, 68% of residents surveyed said they opposed changing the name of James Blair Middle School compared to 53% in the recent survey.

Board member Amy Chen said she felt “quite conflicted” over how to respond to the divide between the committee’s recommendations and the feedback from citizens. She questioned if more community members should weigh in and wondered if a compromise was possible.

“We’re trying to build trust with our community,” Chen said, noting that the Board has a history of not implementing citizen recommendations. “After a while, people might feel like, ‘Why should I fill out this survey? They’re going to do what they want to do anyway.'”

Board member Michael Hosang said he did not support moving forward with the renaming process based on the community’s feedback. Some constituents complained that the public comment portion of the survey was rushed, he said.

“It was presented or offered on a Friday afternoon, and the cutoff was Tuesday at noon, [which] was not enough time for the public to respond,” he said. “If we’re not going to listen to these surveys from our society, from our constituents, they’re not going to take them anymore. They’re not going to listen to what we’re trying to do if we ignore them when they come back to us and tell us what they want,” Hosang said.

Vice Chair Andrea Donnor responded with impassioned remarks underscoring that her view differed from her colleagues.

Donnor said James Blair was founded as an all-white high school a year after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, but the board today had the chance to correct past injustices by choosing a more inclusive name.

“If I have the opportunity to right a historical wrong, my values make me have to take that step, as unpopular as it might be,” she said. “I think it’s valuable to spend $100,000 to fix a historical wrong 70 years later.”

Board member Randy Riffle agreed, saying he believed that removing James Blair from the school’s name was the right thing to do.

“This is my chance to show that I believe in this [name change],” he said, imploring the board not to “pass the buck” to future leaders.

Acting Superintendent Daniel Keever said the next step in the process involves asking the committee to reconvene and make recommendations surrounding possible new names for the school.

Board Chair Sarah Ortego added that the board would not entertain naming the school after “any human beings,” whether they are alive or dead.

The community will be asked to participate in another survey designed to generate possible new name options, according to Keever. The proposed names will be discussed at a future school board meeting in May.