Lora aims to start dialogue on names
OKC considers renaming 4 schools
Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora said Wednesday she will gauge public input before deciding whether to rename four elementary schools named after Confederate leaders.
Lora said she is hearing from “families and people” who find the names “offensive” and others who believe the names are “part of history.”
“At this point, all I’m proposing is that we have a conversation with the communities that would be impacted and that we support their wishes,” she said. “It would be me going out and talking with families.”
A majority of school board members have said they are in favor of renaming Jackson, Lee, Stand Watie and Wheeler elementary schools. Each school is named after a Confederate officer, district officials said.
“I recognize that some of our facilities are not named after individuals that reflect my values,” board member Ron Millican said Wednesday. “However, I do believe that we should develop a process to consider all options.”
Millican’s district includes Lee at 424 SW 29. The school is named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, according to the district’s web site.
Lora said violent protests in Charolottesville, Virginia, have “spurred conversations here,” adding that she will ask the school board as soon as Sept. 5 to give her permission to visit with
parents and teachers and others who live near the four schools.
“What we want to do is find out if the communities have interest in going forward with the name change,” she said. “If there is interest, then I will come back to the board with an official proposal to start the process.”
That process would be similar to the process for renaming the Capitol Hill High School mascot, Lora said. A community committee made up of parents, teachers, staff, community members and students would be appointed to assist with the procedure, she said.
In December 2014, the school board voted unanimously to ban Capitol Hill’s mascot after some members of the American Indian community said they found the term Redskins offensive and harmful.
The name was changed to Red Wolves in May 2015.
Lora said it would cost about $50,000 or less to rename each of the four schools, depending on how many signs have to be changed. She said the money would have to come from community partners or donations.
Millican said he is
against “spending district funds at this time to change the names.”
Other members have expressed concern about spending district money to change the names.
“As much as I don’t want money to be the reason we keep the names of those schools what they are, I also don’t want to take $200,000 away from students and their education,” board Chair Paula Lewis said Tuesday.
Lora, speaking to a room full of reporters at Northeast Academy on Wednesday, said the district is committed to working closely with community historians to “ensure we have a full understanding of the current heritage of our schools.”
“I am not interested in forcing a new name on any community that does not feel it is necessary,” she said. “Rather, I hope to take this opportunity to share information on the current namesakes and then help find funding for those schools where the community feels a name change is needed.”
Board policy states the panel is responsible for changing the name of any school or districtowned facility.
Board member Rebecca Budd said she favors addressing “symbols of racism in our district.”
“More importantly, we need to address tangible effects that prevent our minority students from receiving an equitable education,” she said. “It’s important to change a school’s name, but it’s equally important to take actions to address inequities and improve education outcomes.” Board members met Monday night and discussed the events of Saturday in Charlottesville, where protesters clashed over the removal of a Confederate statue and white nationalists took to the streets.
The next day, Lora said that some facilities named after “historical” figures do not “reflect our values in 2017.”
“Personally, I believe that we need to make sure our families and our students feel safe and appreciated when they come to our school every day,” she said Wednesday. “I think diversity is what makes our school district really special, and I want to make sure every student feels valued.
“If school names are something that are not helping kids feel valued, then I would support changing those.”