Removing Confederate Name Would Cost School $1M: Board Emails

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- A taxpayer watchdog group said it has found evidence that removing a Confederate general's name from a Fairfax County school would come with a big price tag. The name change of J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church is under consideration in a Fairfax County School Board working group.

The Taxpayer Protection Alliance obtained emails in a FOIA request that revealed school board members met privately to discuss the name change, Fox5DC reported. The watchdog group said the board members were not transparent about sharing the name change's cost of $1 million.

The school came under the spotlight in 2015 when students started a petition to change the name to Thurgood Marshall High School, which caught the attention of celebrities. Actress Julianne Moore and producer Bruce Cohen, both J.E.B. Stuart graduates, wrote in a Change.org petition, "Today, this school is attended by a diverse group of students who should not have to attend a school that bears the name of a man who fought to keep African Americans enslaved."

But the information is expected to soon become public anyway. In a statement provided to Fox5DC, the school board said it is exploring public and private financing options for a name change. The working group will present a recommendation to the superintendent later this month, and the school board will consider these results in June.

The school board voted to form the working group in July 2016. In a survey conducted months before in May, the school board found 56 percent of over 3,400 responders do not support the name change. In an initial assessment posted on the Fairfax County Public Schools website, costs were expected to be about $678,000. The breakdown of the costs is as follows:

• Front school sign, scoreboards, field logos, gym wall murals and gym wall padding– approximately $270,000
• Athletic team uniforms – approximately $154,000
• Band uniforms and equipment - approximately $150,000
• Other miscellaneous items with school logo- approximately $104,000

Image via Fairfax County Public Schools