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Board hears plan to rename Magna Elementary as a STEAM school; community divided over "academy" label
Summary
Magna Elementary leadership presented rebranding options and staffing plans tied to a school reconstitution and STEAM focus; the board indicated a preliminary preference for "Magna STEAM Academy" and asked staff to bring a consent item for formal action, while community members remain split over the word "academy."
Magna Elementary staff presented a rebranding plan to the Granite School District board, proposing a transition to a STEAM‑focused school and seeking the board's input on a new official name and mascot.
Ben Peters, speaking to the board, summarized survey results and community council feedback and said the top name choices from district and school surveys were "Magna STEAM Elementary," "Cypress STEAM Elementary," "Magna STEAM Academy" and similar variants. He told the board that the community council preferred keeping "Elementary" in the name but that district survey results favored the STEAM identifiers. "The intent of this rebrand is to rebrand the school and to make it more attractive to, some of our families that have left the school," Peters said, explaining the district hopes the change will draw families back from charter and academy programs.
Peters also described operational steps tied to the reconstitution: extensive hiring and interviews to fill a new staff, curriculum support to establish STEAM programming and planned professional development and tools such as TeachFX to support instruction. He said staff interviewed roughly 54 candidates over a week in February and expected to complete hiring for the remaining five open positions before the next term.
Board members discussed whether the new name should include "academy" or remain "elementary." Several board members said the community was split; one board member said using "academy" can be a positive recruitment tool while another cautioned that the proliferation of "academies" can dilute the label's distinctiveness. Ultimately, the board did not vote but the chair asked for nods of assent and staff were directed to place a recommendation for the name change on a future consent agenda. Facilities and communications staff had produced logo mockups and color options, and the district noted the selected exterior design favors blue highlights, which influenced logo color recommendations.
Peters emphasized that renaming alone is not sufficient: staffing, curriculum and supports must align with the STEAM identity. "We have additional PD and resources being brought in to help get the staff off on the right foot and build unity and build a quality culture... to address some of these challenges and concerns and make sure that we're actually backing up that academy name with some relevant quality educational opportunities," he told the board.
No formal naming action was taken at the meeting; the board signaled a preliminary preference for "Magna STEAM Academy" and asked staff to return the item for a future consent vote.
