Members of the Mary Carr Greer Elementary School community will soon receive a second survey seeking their perspectives on potential names for the school as part of the Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) naming review process. This survey asks participants to choose from among four possible school names: Mary Carr Greer Elementary School, Blue Ridge Elementary School, Hydraulic Elementary School, and Gecko Elementary School.
The survey, which can be accessed at https://survey.k12insight.com/r/NlFalD, is part of a school naming review being conducted by a volunteer community advisory committee in accordance with a division-wide policy. The policy requires a community review of all schools in the division that are named for an individual to ensure those school names reflect the division’s four values of equity, excellence, family and community, and wellness. The survey will close at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 27.
The first survey of two was released on May 9, and 305 of 366 respondents suggested retaining the name Mary Carr Greer. Over 80% said that they were familiar with the school’s current namesake, Mary Carr Greer. During the May 16 public comment meeting, three people spoke in favor of keeping the current name, none spoke against the current name or in favor of new names, and no additional new names were suggested.
Susie Lee, the committee chair, said of the committee’s work so far: “The Greer Elementary School community has demonstrated their investment in this naming review process. We have been fortunate to have hundreds of responses to our surveys, not to mention student participation at the school and public input at our meetings. This type of engagement allows those who are impacted to guide the process.”
The volunteer advisory committee was chosen from those who expressed interest in serving. It includes the school’s principal, Steve Saunders, and Lee, a guidance counselor at the school. Three additional committee members are Greer employees, three are parents, and three live in the school community, but do not have students attending Greer.
In order to engage students with the naming review process during this second round of surveys, they will be able to vote for their preferred name in their classrooms and even receive an “I voted” election sticker similar to that distributed to voters in federal, state and local elections.
The school division will post the survey results on the Greer Elementary School Naming Review web page soon after the survey closes on Friday, May 27. The advisory committee will have its final meeting to discuss the survey results on Monday, June 6. During this meeting, the committee will consider all of the information obtained through public comment, survey results, and its own research.
The committee will send its name recommendation, along with all supporting evidence, to the school division’s superintendent, Dr. Matthew Haas, and announce their choice on Tuesday, June 7. Haas will take the advisory committee’s recommended name for the school under advisement and submit a formal recommendation to the school board, who will make the final decision.
In all, 14 schools in the division will undergo a naming review. To date, naming reviews of six schools in the division have been completed, resulting in four schools changing their name and two retaining theirs.
The advisory committee welcomes suggestions or questions about the review process at any time. All committee members can be emailed at SchoolNamingReview@k12albemarle.org.
CONTACT: Helen Dunn, Legislative and Public Affairs Officer
PHONE: 434-249-8379