WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg-James City County school board said Tuesday that after careful consideration and looking over the potential names presented by a committee, it has decided to no longer pursue changing the name of James Blair Middle School.
Earlier this year, a committee was established to research the history of the name and to survey the community. The board decided it would wait to hear from the committee on naming alternatives before deciding if it would add renaming the school as an action item at the next meeting.
The board was shown a list of names presented by the committee at the May 6 meeting. The names that were presented to the board were:
- Integrity Middle School
- Kiskiack Middle School
- Longhill Middle School
- Powhatan Creek Middle School
- Willow Oak Middle School
Following the presentation the board discussed if it would proceed to the next step. After discussion and taking an informal survey, it was decided that the school board would not be moving forward with the renaming of James Blair as an action item.
“We have to keep, first and foremost, the current students as our number one priority. That’s who we have an obligation to — current students, a fiscal responsibility, and an incredibly difficult budget year,” said School Board Chair Sarah Ortego. “It seems like the real heart of the issue is not the letters that are on the school, but some of the sentiments, and some of the knowledge — and the lack of knowledge — within the school. And that’s not to cast blame. It’s just to say a more important effort might actually be embracing our local history within the walls of our school and honoring the class of ’69 and telling their story.”
The board also took into consideration community feedback that seemed to indicate a majority of survey participants had no interest in seeing the school change its name.
The next school board meeting will be held on May 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the James Blair Auditorium. For more information, visit the official website.
