It’s been mentioned for months during debates over Confederate names and now it’s official: Lee District has been renamed Franconia District.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the change Dec. 6 and it took effect immediately.
“We’re not erasing history, we’re making it,” said Supervisor Rodney Lusk (D-Franconia).
Supervisors acted on the January recommendation of the county’s Redistricting Advisory Committee and input from local residents after several community-engagement sessions.
Officials have formed a cross-county agency team to ensure the name change goes smoothly. Much of the work will be complete by year’s end, but updates to Geographic Information System maps, election precincts and the county’s comprehensive plan likely will be finished by next spring.
Fairfax County Public Schools also will put the new Franconia District name on documents, signage, school information and Websites. (School Board Vice Chairman Tamara Derenak Kaufax for weeks has been identified on the school system’s Website as representing Franconia District, not Lee.)
County officials have spent the past few years renaming sites, schools and roads whose names have associations with the Confederacy, slavery, segregation or racism.
While some question whether Lee District actually was named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, his name has strong associations with the Confederacy, county officials said.
“The specific name of a magisterial district is essential to forming trust within communities and is an expression of community values,” county staff wrote in a briefing memorandum for supervisors. “Names that are more inclusive enable neighbors to feel more welcome, leading to a greater sense of belonging.”
The School Board in July 2020 stripped the name Lee from a high school in Springfield and renamed it after the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).