Maybe, hopefully, the end of a year-long debate over school renaming in Jacksonville will come to a close tn. Or at least a close for now, depending on how votes go. It's a packed house & goodness knows how long pub comment will last. Follow this thread for updates @jaxdotcom
The latest background on how we got here. Supplementary stories are linked within the story: jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
"Our high schools are the bedrock of our school district," Supt. Greene says Westside HS graduation was today. She says when the school was called Forrest the grad rate was 62%. Today, it's 90%. "The same impact will continue irregardless of the decision that is made tonight."
This is a rare, monologue-like & emotional moment from Supt. Greene who usually sticks to data & brief, direct talking pts. "Tonight what we do, the goal is that it's going to make a difference ... We are going to get beyond this."
60 speaker cards tonight for public comment portion
The current speaker is asking for the SB to vote to support renaming the three schools named after colonizers despite Supt. Greene's recommendation to keep those schools' names the same. More on this: jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
Another speaker is using her time to list off the dozens of supporters for name changes. At one point, she mentions @NateMonroeTU and calls him a Florida Times-Union editor. I'm here to add he is not an editor and that would be a very scary thought 😎
So far, this has been a pretty even mix of pro- vs ani- name change, maybe skewing slightly toward pro-name change. Current speaker says the voting process was "rigged" — it went through the Duval Office of Elections — & that Supt. recos only 1 name change, not true she reco'd 6
Questions looming about how much name changing will cost. I have an article for y'all on that! jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
While most of the comments are name-change-focused, a few are about next year's "mask optional" policy. More on that: jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
A cluster of young people, current DCPS students, have spoken in support of changing the names. One young woman was Black and said white alumni wanting to keep names the same don't understand what it's like to be a Black girl like her walking through the halls.
A current Lee High junior is speaking & says he's against the name change. He says it goes back to the school's legacy and legend. Says he wants his diploma to match his mother's & grandmother's. "It's not the history of the man I'm trying to preserve but of our school."
His argument reminds me of students I spoke to at Ribault HS who also want their school's name to stay the same because of the legacy. But critics say it ignores systemic oppression. More on that: jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
Current speaker in favor of changing school names says "We're less concerned with the four years the Civil War occurred and more concerned with the four years students attend high school."
Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser is here tonight. She spoke moments ago on behalf of the school in her area, Joseph Finegan Elementary. She said she supported the voting process and supports the community's will to change the school's name.
We're officially on hour 2 of public comment. Hang in there with me, y'all! (or read my story afterward and scroll through this thread with some popcorn, choice is yours).
We have our first Orwell reference and I'm wondering why I didn't make a bingo board for tonight ahead of time!
Activist/artist Hope McMath of Yellow House speaks: "This has been a time of intense racial reckoning & this debate has been a piece of it...I ask that all 9 names change. Because they will [eventually]...wouldn't it be nice if Jacksonville could be on the right side of history."
Deyona Burton, Lee High senior class prez (just graduated!) in her cap, medallion & cords. She asks for her class to be the last of that name. "My class has been through a lot ... do not let all this pain be for nothing." More on Deyona's work: jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
"We preserve history by creating a diverse curriculum & teaching history honestly," she adds. "It's been a long day and an even longer process. Make the appropriate changes across the board so we can all go home."
Raymond Johnson (jacksonville.com/opinion/201902…) is up and says the people in favor of changing the name are Soros-funded paid agitators. The crowd laughs.
Johnson was one of the most vocal critics of the Jacksonville Library's Pride prom in 2019, prompting the event's cancelation: jacksonville.com/news/20190624/…
🚨 PUBLIC COMMENT IS OVER 🚨 onto the rest of the agenda!
hahaha this board is tired. @andersen4dcps laughs as board members RACE to motion and second minute approvals
Correction: no Consent Agenda items for discussion. Name change items (each school individually) have already been pulled for discussion.
Warren Jones is speaking. Jones originally filed the bill to consider renaming Confederate-tied schools. He said he was moved by George Floyd's death & Mayor Lenny Curry's move to remove Confed. monuments. He says he wanted to be proactive, knowing eyes would turn to schools.
Whoa, Lori Hershey says she'll be treating the vote as an all-or-nothing situation with Supt. Greene's recommendations. She says she will vote "no."
To clarify, the vote hasn't happened yet. This is discussion (mostly written out speeches) ABOUT the agenda items.
Other board members so far (Coker and Jones) suggest support. Charlotte Joyce is speaking now. She says she's reviewed all the balloting surveillance footage at Lee HS. She says she doesn't feel like the votes have been above board and represented the community fairly.
Joyce also voices concerns of a lack of fundraising to cover the cost. Says she can't approve district funds toward renaming schools. Historically, people against the name change have touted Joyce as "on their side."
Board member Cindy Pearson speaks. She reminds crowd that she joined the board in November (middle of the process). She says she experienced "discomfort" regarding process' transparency. "I still think we have a long way to go as we review our policy on this issue." ...
"That said, I will support the Supt.'s recommendation to change the names of the six schools she's recommending," Pearson said.
Pearson says she'll support recommendations but raises concerns of funding. Says if change is important to the community, big donors need to pony up (she said that more eloquently than I'm tweeting)
Darryl Willie speaks. Says schools were named intentionally as an intimidation act, it's time to fix that. "You will still have your history, your yearbooks ... but I want to be on the right side of history."
Willie says he'll vote yes for 6 Confed. schools, adds he wants to have a robust discussion about Andrew Jackson as well. This marks a change of heart for him. When the bill was introduced to explore renaming Jackson and Ribault, he was originally opposed. jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
Andersen: "As a board and a community, we've done really hard things. But we can get this done." says it's not forgetting history but moving forward. "We know who we want to be as a school district."
We're moving onto the items. Unclear if we're going school-by-school or blanket voting. Let's see!
We're going one by one. Starting with Joseph Finegan Elementary. Charlotte Joyce has moved for discussion to ask about if funding is binding in Green's reco. Greene says in financial description it says gen. op & other funding can't be used.
Greene adds that everything in the listing must be followed. Joyce makes motion to amend the recommendation with that explicit financial language. Pearson seconds
Explainer on beverage funds: DCPS currently has contract with Pepsi. When not using tax payer dollars because of policy, beverage funds are sometimes used as alternative. That vendor money is part of the $$$ that could be used toward name change.
Financial officer says this might not be so easy as moving some lines around on the recommendation. Jones adds that budget has to be approved later anyway & that's where this could be scrutinized.
We're voting on the amendment. Jones says he doesn't think the amendment is in order. Now there's an ask to withdraw the amendment. To which Joyce responds "no."
The amendment failed.
Finegan renaming PASSES 5-2. Hershey and Joyce vote no.
Stonewall renaming is up and Joyce has made the same amendment motion. We're gonna be here a while, folx.
The amendment has failed again. Same three supported it with YES votes (Hershey, Joyce and Coker)
Stonewall rename PASSES 5-2. Joyce and Hershey vote no.
We're onto Jefferson Davis Middle and you've guessed it, Joyce moves for an amendment. Starting to see a pattern here.
Amendment fails, same three supported it Hershey, Joyce, Pearson. *I said Coker earlier! I meant Pearson! Lots of no's and yes's!
J.E.B. Stuart Middle renaming PASSES 5-2. Now we're onto Jefferson Davis
Amendment moved for Jefferson. Fails with same vote count and history (Hershey, Joyce, Pearson)
Jefferson Davis renaming PASSES 5-2. Onto Kirby Smith.
Joyce moves to add financial impact amendment. Hershey seconds. It fails. They, along with Pearson, voted yes.
Kirby Smith rename PASSES 5-2, Hershey and Joyce voted no
We're onto arguably the most contentious of all names, Robert E. Lee High. Joyce moves for amendment.
The amendment has failed. The original motion is on the floor. Jones is speaking, quoting a 2013 Times-Union story emphasizing that school budget funds weren't used when Forrest was renamed.
Jones talks about 90-year-old Miss Meeks who made it out to the polls in support of names changing.

Pearson praises language in reco about preserving old school name memorabilia. Asks the same to be done retroactively for Forrest for alumni's sake.
Joyce speaks on Lee. Says a lot of alumni are in her district. Says she wept when she heard name changes would be considered, knew it would bring division. "I'm really a peacemaker & want everyone to be happy." She originally voted yes for the process to be considered. (cont)
Says she watched Lee voting process. Says faculty felt uncomfortable that a board member was there. Said she witnessed a discrepancy & women kept looking at her. Says again that she pulled the tapes & reviewed surveillance. Says she can't divulge everything for security reasons.
Says she saw people get some sort of provisional ballots without showing ID "numerous times." "To me that's not transparent," Joyce says. "That's why I question the legitimacy of this community vote." Says she doesn't believe it's accurate.
Darryl Willie asks how many times that happened? Would it have changed the percentage? Is this massive? Supt. Greene says # of students who voted who lived in area as community member but didn't attend Lee was about 115. Wouldn't have skewed percentage to Willie's understanding
"I don't want us to get distracted," Willie said. He added that the voting was a poll to help Supt. make recommendations. "That's not a determining factor for me," Willie said.
Greene said all student IDs were checked via FOCUS which has pics, addresses, etc. for verification. Joyce says there was no list she could request that says if a student is also a community member.
Jones, audibly frustrated, says convo is frustrating that no one's concerned about 1925 cancel culture. Asks where this level of concern is when Black people couldn't vote, run for office, sit in front of bus. "I'm voting to change the names because it's the right thing to do."
Robert E. Lee High School rename PASSES 5-2, "Power to the people" and light cheering heard from audience. Hershey and Joyce voted no.
We're onto Ribault. Willie references his early concerns adding Ribault and Jackson would be "distracting," but explains his better understanding now. Still supports changing Ribault, but said earlier he would like to revisit Jackson.
No amendment raised this time 👀
Ribault will stay the same. Board unanimously supported Greene's recommendation to keep the name.
Jones says he wants to give students a voice so he will not be supporting Greene's recommendation to keep Andrew Jackson the same. Willie makes motion to go against Greene's reco and change Andrew Jackson HS. Jones seconds 👀
.@andersen4dcps mentions perhaps diff. names should be considered to reflect Jackson's magnet program. Jones says they can vote to change name w/o proposal of name & poll community on new name. Willie agrees. New sub amendment to reflect that.
Vote for AMENDMENT (not the rename yet) to vote on renaming Andrew Jackson HS with a TBD name based on convo with SAC committee FAILS 3-4. Jones, Andersen and Willie voted in favor.
Vote for no change to Jackson PASSES 4-3.
Ribault HS name change also passes. There you have it! All six confederate tied names in Jacksonville will be renamed. Story coming shortly!
Let me clarify on this one. Ribault HS recommendation for NO change. All six confed. will change! Three connected to colonizers won't.
Y'all, I'm big tired.
What questions do you have for me about this while I wait on edits?! I'll try my best to clarify.
RIP to my editor who is editing 2,000 words at 10:30 p.m. (sorry @prunnestrand)
As promised, here's the full story! Six Jacksonville schools named after Confederate soldiers will be renamed: jacksonville.com/story/news/edu…
Made a quick infographic on this for the gram. Give it some love! instagram.com/p/CPmiyNHB290/
Annnnnnnd it's bed time. Let's do this again in the morning, OK?! Thanks for sticking with me and please subscribe to local news if you value coverage like this ♥️
OK a final note because WOW, what a night, what a monumental vote. I'm just so, so honored to tell your stories, Duval & to write your first draft of history. This was a big one. I moved to Jax by choice — I fell in love with this place (+ a man who lives here). No regrets.

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