Four RPS schools in line for new names

By George Copeland Jr.

Richmond School Board members will vote to confirm new names for four schools — Ginter Park Elementary, John B. Cary Elementary, Binford Middle and George Wythe High — later this month, after a meeting Monday evening at Thomas Jefferson High School.

The School Board had approved the renaming of three of the schools in November, adding George Wythe in January, as a way to distance the schools from their namesakes, who served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, owned slaves or both.

The decision led to several public surveys, hearings and suggestions throughout March, with Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras recommending four new names during Monday’s meeting.

Lois Harrison-Jones Elementary was the recommended name for John B. Cary, Northside Elementary for Ginter Park, Dogwood Middle for Binford and Richmond High School of the Arts was the new name recommended for George Wythe.

Of all the names recommended, Dogwood Middle and Richmond High didn’t attract any positive or negative com- ments from the public or board members, while former school officials, students and others were present to sing the praises of Mrs. Jones, a Richmond teacher who served as the first Black female superintendent in Virginia.

“You will not find anywhere within the shores of this country any person better suited, better qualified, better prepared to receive that honor,” said former School Board Chair Melvin D. Law during the public comment period of Monday’s meeting.

However, another name for Ginter Park, Frances Wood McClenney, also was suggested by members of the public and board members, and led to both spirited support and heated debate among the board.

Like Ms. Jones, the late Ms. McClenney was a landmark African-American educator in Richmond, and worked during the desegregation of schools in Virginia as the first Black teacher, Black principal and female principal of Ginter Park Elementary.

“Frances came to Richmond with a legacy and a history of business and education and freedom fighters who loved humanity,” said Madeline McClenney, Mrs. McClenney’s daughter. “She came to teach all of her babies to read and write and think so they would matriculate with a foundation that could not be stolen.”

However, much of the discussion from the board was focused on Mrs. McClenney’s association with the clustering of white students into classes separate from black students that was criticized and investigated in Richmond schools in 1992. Board members Shonda Harris-Muhammed, Kenya Gibson and Board Vice Chair Cheryl Burke voiced their support for renaming Ginter Park in recognition of her accomplishments, despite this history.

“I sincerely hope that this board, whatever the decision may be, will take into consideration the work that woman did as a black female during that time in Richmond City Public Schools,” Ms. Harris-Muhammed said.

Other board members had their own opinions on the names recommended so far, with Mariah White disagreeing with the renaming process and suggesting Ms. Jones and Mrs. McClenney be honored with street names insteard. At the end of the discussion, Ms. Gibson introduced a motion to confirm Mrs. McClenney as the new replacement name for Ginter Park, which failed in a three to five vote.

The board is set to discuss the renaming process again at their next school board meeting on June 20.