Naming of new Brawley middle school highlights historical tensions, attempts to unite community
BRAWLEY – Over the past week, discourse surrounding the newly named Padilla-Pace Middle School on Brawley’s east end has resulted in mixed reviews from several factions within the Brawley community.
Brawley Elementary School District (BESD) board members announced at a recent meeting that they had come to the conclusion of Padilla-Pace in honor of two of the city’s revered civil and military heroes. While cause for celebration for some, others speculated that the voting process might have been disregarded or even tainted by an all-too-familiar form of nepotism.
BESD initially invited residents to share in the naming process by calling for suggestions and holding a vote by which the single most popular of five names would be determined. Although surnames Padilla and Pace were both options that made it into the top five for public voting, the combination of the two was not.
Those in disagreement with the decision seemed to be most concerned with not having their voices heard on the most basic level, reflecting a common complaint in politics on the local and national level. That the board chose a name for the school that wasn’t part of the original voting options rubbed many the wrong way, locals said.
Other residents took to social media to share their view of the outcome, with the majority opinion being that voters would’ve hoped for a more neutral name such as Malan Middle School, an option which did appear in the original top five.
“What was the point of voting if they just decided to name it what they wanted anyways?” wrote one social media user.
Discussion included speculation around related board members’ ability to vote on the issue in the instance of a conflict of interest, although it was confirmed that one affected member did recuse himself.
Cesar Guzman, unrelated to the Padilla family, was the one who ultimately made the motion in favor of the name. He said the board also considered changing the name of its sister school, Barbara Worth Junior High, “Then we realized that once you name a school, it stays for a lifetime,” explained Guzman. “Once a bobcat, always a bobcat.”
With this in mind, the BESD board asserted its right to make the final decision and voted unanimously to approve the name Padilla-Pace for its second much-needed middle school.
“Elected officials have to make tough choices,” said Guzman. “You’re not going to please everybody.”
Construction is currently underway and has been progressing at an impressive pace in an attempt to meet the projected completion date of August 2024.
“I’m just glad we’re getting a school,” Hidalgo Elementary School Principal Bessie Jones said on Wednesday morning, May 17, during student drop-off.
Jones acknowledged the joining of the Hispanic and Caucasian communities matter-of-factly, referencing the unspoken socioeconomic divide often symbolized by the railroad tracks.
“We are one. No matter if we have two names, three names, four names, we are still one,” Jones said. “We are BESD.”
As for the parents of Hidalgo students who will likely be future students of Padilla-Pace Middle School, it seemed most were unaware of the name change.
In the coming months, the school’s mascot will also be up for debate. Teachers, students, and staff will have a chance to decide what — or who — will represent the school for generations to come.
For now, Guzman calls the board’s latest decision “the best of both worlds.”