School committee refers proposal to name building or street for longtime custodian Dan Kavanaugh

A motion to refer a proposal to name a building or street in honor of Dan Kavanaugh, a longtime custodian, was sent to the School Committee's Building and Maintenance Subcommittee after committee members and school staff described his decades of service.

A school committee speaker said, "I've said so many times that aesthetics matter and a critical component of keeping a building beautiful and clean and safe are our custodians," and urged the subcommittee to consider the naming request. The speaker added that Kavanaugh was "stellar and outstanding" in his work.

A staff member who worked with Kavanaugh at Duggan described him as "definitely a part of our Duggan family" who served for more than 35 years and "was the first person that they saw every morning at the crossing block." The staff member said Kavanaugh ran a summer mentor program that helped students learn custodial skills and that Kavanaugh often described having "over 500" children in his care.

Another speaker observed that the district has historically honored coaches and community figures and said it might be appropriate to honor a custodian for his daily contributions to students and staff.

Committee members moved the proposal to the Buildings and Maintenance Subcommittee; the roll-call vote recorded all present members voting yes and the referral passed. No final naming decision was made at the meeting; the item was referred for subcommittee consideration and possible recommendation.