What’s in a name change? Officials react to Godwin decision

Officials said the decision to rename Mills Godwin Middle School was the right compromise to make.

There were two failed tied votes during a March 2 Prince William County School Board meeting. The first to name new elementary school near the corner of Spriggs and Minnieville roads after fallen Prince William County firefighter Kyle Wilson, who died nine years ago at age 24. The second was to name the school after 87-year-old Army officer turned educator and community philanthropist, Dr. George Hampton.

In an 11th hour move, the Board unanimously decided to name the new school after Wilson and rename the 46-year-old Godwin after Hampton. The large crowd that gathered to hear the decision applauded the compromise.

And that’s where it ended.

“That decision made everyone in that room happy that night. Now we have to deal with the consequences, and there will be a lot of them,” said Coles District School Board member Willie Deutsh, who voted for the comprise. “It was the vote that was in the best interest of the constituents in the district.”

Those consequences, on the surface, are merely cosmetic. Signage at Godwin will need to be changed before the start of the 2016-17 school year. Benches, gym floors, wall paintings, stationary, right down to cards inside school library books must all be changed, and those changes will be phased in over time as the budget permits.

“There will be a day soon when Godwin will stop being Godwin Middle School and will become Dr. George Hampton Middle School. But all of those small changes don’t have to happen right now.”

The middle school also serves as the polling place for the Godwin Election Precinct inside the Neabsco District in Dale City. New voter cards will most likely need to mailed before the November 8 General Presidental Election, as well as new election maps printed. The cost of those changes are still unknown, said Prince William County General Registrar Michelle White.

The County Board of Supervisors must approve a name change for the Election Precinct. On Friday, members were still getting a handle on the unprecedented decision by the School Board to rename Godwin Middle.

“We’re not going to spend any money on that,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, At-large, of the name change. “It sounds like the School Board made a good compromise here, and we’re not going to penny pinch if the costs are minimal just to mail out a few voter cards, but the Schools are going to incur the cost of the change.”

John Jenkins has represented the Neabsco District, and families who have children who have attended Godwin for more than 30 years. He questioned the need to change the name of the school.

“I think Dr. Hampton needed to be recognized but I think there are different ways to do it,” he said. “Godwin has a legacy of its own. My three sons all attended Godwin Middle school, so we know it’s a school of high-quality instruction and high-quality staff, but I don’t think a name change will change that.”

After Kyle Wilson Elementary School opens this fall, Jenkins, as did Deutsch on the School Board, suggested the School Board consider naming the next elementary school built at Potomac Shores near Dumfries after Hampton.

“I think it’s an option they can still consider,” added Jenkins.

Then there are those who said the School Board decision to rename the school set a precedent because the public had not been given advanced notice of the name change. School Board bylaws require at least two weeks notice before the naming of a new school.

Sawyers said those rules don’t apply to the renaming of an existing facility. School Board members we spoke to also left open the possibility of renaming other schools that are named after geographic locations in the future, such as Kerrydale, Dale City, Minnieville, Featherstone, etc.

“The [Neabsco] District is landlocked, and we’re not building any more schools, so would be open to the possibility of renaming schools to honor deserving members of our community,” said Neabsco District School Board member Diane Raulston.