Pr. William School Board names new elementary after fallen firefighter
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Version 0 of 1. Faced with the assignment of naming a new school, the Prince William County School Board did just that last week — but its members also decided to rename an existing school. The board voted unanimously Wednesday to name the county’s newest elementary school after Kyle R. Wilson, the only county firefighter to die in the line of duty, and to change the name of Godwin Middle School after philanthropist, veteran and retired educator George M. Hampton. The move was a compromise introduced by board member Justin David Wilk (Potomac) after the panel failed, on successive 4-to-4 votes, to choose either Wilson or Hampton for the name of the elementary school, scheduled to open this fall. Those two names emerged over the past few weeks as the community’s top choices, with supporters of each packing public meetings. But choosing from the alternatives made for a decision between honoring a lifetime of one kind of public service or a life cut short in carrying out another type of service. So Wilk made his proposal. He said it would ensure that a majority-minority middle school would not be named for a man he called a “segregationist governor,” Mills E. Godwin Jr. Instead, the school would honor Hampton, an African American educator whose children attended classes there. The sound of applause filled the board’s chamber at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center as soon as Wilk spoke, and photographs of the board with the Hampton and Wilson families followed. “It’s a very, very wise decision,” board member Diane L. Raulston (Neabsco) said before the vote, “because at this rate, nobody was going to win anything tonight.” The father of the first responder who lost his life in 2007 agreed. “I think that’s . . . an awesome idea,” Bob Wilson said of the compromise, which came less than a week after another line-of-duty death in Prince William. Three county police officers were shot Feb. 27, one fatally, in responding to a domestic dispute. Like Bob Wilson, Hampton, a former college professor who holds a doctorate in education, was pleased with the arrangement. “I thought it was going to be black-and-white,” the 87-year-old said outside Wednesday’s meeting. “It turned out to be gray.” A parent of two future Kyle R. Wilson Elementary students pointed out the importance of the school’s location at Spriggs and Minnieville roads. “I feel that since he grew up so close to where the school is located, it is fitting that this school be named after him,” Karen McKeown said in an email a day after the board’s decision. Although its ending was happy, Wednesday’s board meeting saw tension. As at a previous forum on the topic, tough talk about who was most worthy of a school name mixed with accolades about Kyle Wilson and Hampton. A few in the audience even laughed at board member William J. Deutsch (Coles) when he tried to make a point about community unity. Some decried what they called a politicization of the naming process, as well. Hampton has donated more than $6,000 to Democratic candidates since 2000, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit group that tracks money in politics. He also contributed $200 to the campaign of Prince William School Board Vice Chairman Lillie G. Jessie (Occoquan) last year, VPAP reported. As a board candidate, Jessie ran as an independent but was endorsed by Democrats. Jessie discounted the notion that Hampton’s contribution swayed her, however. She said Thursday that she has been friends with him since the 1970s, and she noted that he was an unsuccessful candidate for school-naming twice before. If he is buying influence, Jessie said, “he’s getting a poor return on investment.” Hampton also shrugged off concerns, saying he simply backs fellow Democrats. “Everybody donates,” he said after Wednesday’s vote. Another financial matter, the cost of changing the name of Godwin in Dale City to Dr. George M. Hampton Middle School, quickly became a topic last week on a Facebook discussion group about county schools. Some commenters wondered whether the money could be better spent elsewhere. “Our school system has plenty of money to waste, obviously,” one person wrote on the “Our Schools PWC” page. An exact dollar figure for the switch was unavailable, county schools spokesman Phil Kavits said. But Dave Cline, associate superintendent for finance and support services, said Wednesday that the cost to change just exterior features at the present-day Godwin could be $20,000. Other school watchers debated whether Mills Godwin was being properly characterized by Wilk. Godwin — who served as Virginia’s governor from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1978 — had a history of opposing school integration, several people wrote on “Our Schools PWC,” but he also was later endorsed by the NAACP. |