Week Before Stuart High School Name Change, Board Members Divided

FALLS CHURCH, VA—A little over a week before the final vote on J.E.B. Stuart's name change, board members remain divided on a replacement. The board met Monday for the last time before the vote on Thursday, Oct. 26.

In September, residents living in the school's boundaries voted for their first, second and third choices from a list of about 70 suggested names. The school board voted to remove the name of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart from the school in July, but keeping the last name isn't out of the question.

These were residents' top choices:

1. Stuart/Stuart Raiders - 917 points
2. Justice Thurgood Marshall - 763 points
3. Barbara Rose Johns - 737 points
4. Peace Valley - 494 points
5. Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr. - 328 points

Not only was Stuart the top choice, but it's also the cheapest option. According to data being presented to the school board, a complete name change adds up to $800,620, while removing J.E.B. but keeping Stuart costs $512,572.

Springfield District Board Member Elizabeth Schultz is in favor of the community's first choice, but not all board members agree, WAMU reported. Dalia Palchik of Providence and new at-large member Karen Keys-Gamarra are completely opposed to Stuart High School. while Karen Corbett Sanders of Mount Vernon proposed combining Stuart and another top resident choice.

The change will come two years into a divided struggle. Stuart High School was named for the Confederate general when it opened in 1959, which some believe was a response to desegregation efforts. The name change could happen by fall 2019.

See updates on the Stuart High School renaming here.

Image via Matt Barakat/Associated Press