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Localities Get Creative to Pay for School Name Changes

This week Roanoke City joined a growing list of localities dropping Confederate-related names from public schools. A common argument against name changes has been cost. But localities are still finding a way to pay.

 

Changing a name isn’t cheap. There’s new letterhead to buy, sports uniforms, and marquee signs. In Petersburg the $20,000 tab was picked up by an anonymous donor.

But officials in Richmond have been forced to get creative. After the city decided to rename J.E.B. Stuart Elementary Obama Elementary a community member suggested selling t-shirts to raise the funds.

“I’m actually looking at the website right now and we have 1,499 shirts sold and we’re trying to get 3,000,” said Superintendent Jason Kamras during a phone interview Thursday afternoon.  “So we are one shirt away from 50-percent as we speak.”

At $19.95 each, the goal of 3,000 will cover the entire cost of renaming. Proceeds will go to  the Richmond Public Schools Foundation, an already existing nonprofit.

 

“Having everyone reach out to purchase these t-shirts shows the pride the city has in bending that arc of history towards a more just future,” said Kamras.

Officials in Roanoke haven’t decided yet how to pay the price for renaming Stonewall Jackson Middle School. But, they say, they’ll happily take donations.

 

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

 

Mallory Noe-Payne is a Radio IQ reporter based in Richmond.