WILLIAMSBURG — The WJCC school board on Tuesday agreed that it would have the committee tasked with looking into the culture of renaming James Blair Middle School move forward with coming up with alternative names for the school before a vote later this year on the possible change.
During the meeting, the committee presented its findings, as well as its recommendation in favor of renaming James Blair Middle School to the board. In an anonymous poll, the committee voted 11-0 in favor of renaming the school, with one member abstaining.
“The committee does not believe a school named after James Blair engenders the inspirational or aspirational qualities to support all learners nor does it represent the qualities we hope for our students during or after their time with WJCC schools,” said Kara Wall, Strategic Communications Officer, when presenting of the committee’s findings.
In its research, the committee studied a history of James Blair and his involvement with William & Mary, the Anglican church, and slavery, as well as the opening of James Blair High School/Middle School, integration and its operational timeline. Budget considerations were also a key talking point during the committee’s meetings.
The committee also surveyed multiple groups, including current James Blair students, current James Blair staff, current James Blair parents and guardians, WJCC Schools parents and guardians who live in the James Blair attendance zone and the general public.
The data revealed:
- 30% of current James Blair students thought the name should change, with 47% saying no, and 23% unsure.
- James Blair staff had 38% yes, 48% no, 14% unsure.
- Parents and Guardians showed 22% yes, 63% no, and 15% unsure.
- Parents and Guardians in the school zone said 36% yes, 53% no, and 11% unsure.
- The general public saw 43% yes, 54% no, and 3% unsure.
While it was noted a no group favored a name change by a majority, keeping the name was less favorable than when a name change was first considered before James Blair reopened in 2018. In 2017, keeping the name had been polled at 68% while the current combined survey shows only 53% in favor of keeping the name — a 15% drop.
“That 53% is our society speaking. If we’re not going to listen to our society, from our constituents, they’re not going to take [these surveys] anymore. They’re not going to listen to what we’re trying to do. If we just ignore them when they come back to us what they want, and right now the overwhelming issue is that they don’t want this renamed,” said Board Member Michael Hosang.
Hosang added the biggest reason he saw for community opposition was the cost to rename the building.
“For me it’s about context,” said School Board Vice Chair Andrea M. Donnor. “First, it was Brown v. Board of Education 1954. James Blair Middle School, if you go back and look at the School Board that sat in these exact same seats 70 years ago, they had federal law and the Supreme Court that said you must desegregate and they voted to reflect their times to have an all-white high school and then to name it after an enslaver.”
The committee will present alternate names to the school board for consideration Tuesday, May 6, before the board votes on whether the name should be changed or kept. The board has also said it will not entertain names of anyone alive or dead as a replacement.
The next school board meeting will be held on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at James Blair Middle School. For more information, visit the official website.
