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Meeting Date:
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3/4/2021 - 4:00 PM
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Category:
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Old Business and Action Items
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Type:
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Info
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Subject:
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Superintendent's Recommendations for Renaming Matthew Maury Elementary School and T.C. Williams High School--30 mins
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ACPS 2025 Strategic Plan Goal:
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Goal 1: Systemic Alignment ACPS will build a culture of continuous improvement and design equitable systems for school and instructional improvement. Goal 2: Instructional Excellence ACPS will ensure that all students have access to and engagement with high-quality instruction. Goal 3: Student Accessibility and Support ACPS will ensure students have equitable access to and engagement with programs and supports that reduce barriers to learning. Goal 4: Strategic Resource Allocation ACPS will strategically provide differentiated resources and supports to schools and departments. Goal 5: Family and Community Engagement ACPS will ensure that all families and community members feel welcomed, respected, and valued.
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Funding Source or Fiscal Impact (where applicable)
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FY22 Combined-Funds Budget
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File Attachment:
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Agenda Item Summary:
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The attached presentation serves to inform the School Board about the final polls in Phase II of the Identity Project. It provides results from the polls and information about the top three candidates for each school from the public poll and the final recommendation from the superintendent.
Area 1: Three finalist names and rationale for each school
Area 2: Poll number two data and polling results for each school
Area 3: Superintendent Dr. Gregory Hutchings Jr.’s recommendation for final names
Area 4: Timeline to complete the renaming project
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Background:
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On Nov. 23, 2020, the Alexandria City School Board voted to change the names of T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School, citing the fact that neither name was aligned with ACPS’ values of equity and diversity.
Engaging the community in the renaming process and moving forward with semi-finalist names and finalist names was built off of the following board policies in renaming of school buildings: ACPS Policy FF and ACPS Reg FF-R.
In July 2020, Gov. Ralph Northam wrote a letter to state school boards urging them to evaluate Virginia public schools with names and mascots “that memorialize Confederate leaders or sympathizers.” As a result, many Virginia school districts have considered and made name changes or mascot changes over the past year. Guided by our strategic plan “Equity for All 2025,” ACPS responded to two petitions received in summer 2020, to change the names of T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School.
Many ACPS schools were named during a time in our city and our country when vastly different attitudes and beliefs guided our decisions. In 2020, a spotlight has shone on the many inequities in today's society, and a new determination to right the wrongs of history has swept the nation. To that end, the School Board answered a call to look again at the morality of naming our city's only high school after Thomas Chambliss Williams, a staunch segregationist whose views could not have been more inconsistent with the vibrant, diverse and inclusive place we know today. As that process began, questions were raised about the name of Matthew Maury Elementary School. Was it right to immortalize a commander of the Confederate Navy even though he was also a celebrated oceanographer and astronomer?
And so began ACPS’ The Identity Project, a wide-reaching community conversation that allows all voices to be heard as we look toward a more equitable future in Alexandria. The process for Phase I required considerable community engagement to involve the public, understand the history and make informed decisions. Phase II of the Identity Project focused on community engagement to find new names after the Board voted to change the school names on Nov. 23, 2020. Phase II includes a wide-reaching community engagement effort to narrow down new naming options that meet all Board policies and be inclusive. The Board will make the final decision on April 8, 2021.
Phase II of the Identity Project moved forward with
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Recommendation:
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The superintendent recommends that the following two names be considered for renaming T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School. The final decision will be approved by the School Board.
● T.C. Williams High School to be renamed Alexandria High School
● Matthew Maury Elementary School to be renamed Naomi Brooks Elementary School
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Approvals:
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Recommended By:
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Signed By:
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Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. - Superintendent
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