Midland ISD trustees approve renaming to Midland Lee High School after hours of public comment

Midland Independent School District trustees voted on Aug. 12 to change the names of the district’s current high school and freshman campus to Midland Lee High School and Midland Lee Freshman High School beginning with the 2026–27 school year, a decision that followed hours of public testimony and drew divided reaction from trustees and the community.

The board’s vote came after a three‑hour public‑comment session in which dozens of residents, alumni, teachers and parents urged opposite outcomes. Supporters of the change argued the single‑word name honors local tradition and alumni identity; opponents said returning to any form of “Lee” resurrects a name chosen during a period of segregation and would harm students of color. “My children matter,” said Gquez Anderson, a parent who urged trustees to keep the current name; “We have to be a movement.” Teacher Taylor Daley urged trustees to retain Legacy, calling the proposed reversion “a dog whistle.”

The nut graf: trustees weighed community input, legal and budgetary questions and operational effects such as athletic eligibility before taking the decision. Superintendent Dr. Howard told trustees the district could implement a name change without amending the budget and estimated immediate rebranding costs for the two existing campuses at roughly $35,000 on the low end and about $62,000 on the high end; she said the new west campus had not been branded yet and would not add additional cost if the board approved the name now.

Trustees opened the discussion after the public forum. Trustee Burleson said she had lived through racism and would continue to put student outcomes first, and she stated, “Therefore, I will not be voting for the name change.” Trustee Carlson said the majority of written correspondence she received favored keeping Legacy and that she would vote against renaming. Trustee Leazer delivered a lengthy floor statement supporting the change, framing the shorter name as a compromise and saying he would vote to name the high school Midland Lee High School. Superintendent Dr. Howard and staff fielded questions about budget neutrality, implementation timing and whether rebranding would affect student athletes’ eligibility under University Interscholastic League rules.

The board then moved to a vote on the naming motion that had been placed on the floor and seconded earlier in the meeting. The motion passed and the board approved renaming the current high school and the freshman campus to Midland Lee High School and Midland Lee Freshman High School beginning with the 2026–27 school year. In public comments and in the discussion trustees repeatedly emphasized that the board’s action would not restore the full historical name “Robert E. Lee” and that signage and branding decisions would be implemented with attention to cost.

The meeting also included procedural and operational questions raised by speakers. Several public commenters asked the district to publish legal spending and public‑information‑request tracking, to publish weekly campus vacancy reports and to reconsider the district’s handling of rehire surcharges under state law; those were requests from the public, not board directives taken as formal action during this meeting.

After the naming vote the trustees moved into closed session as allowed under the Texas Government Code. When the board reconvened, it voted on two grievance appeals heard in executive session. The board voted to uphold the level‑2 hearing officer’s decision in grievance JN and likewise denied the grievance appeal of JV, upholding the level‑2 decision in that case.

What happens next: Dr. Howard told trustees administration would pursue a budget‑neutral implementation path and that some physical items removed during rebranding would not be replaced, while other costs might be offset by donations. The district noted that final signage and uniform changes could be phased and that the west campus branding is not finalized. Trustees asked staff to continue reviewing district anti‑discrimination policies and to ensure campus administrators receive training on reporting and handling discrimination and student discipline matters following the grievances that were considered in closed session.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the naming motion to designate the current and freshman campuses as Midland Lee High School and Midland Lee Freshman High School beginning school year 2026–27. In closed session the board upheld the level‑2 hearing officer’s decisions in grievances identified in the meeting as JN and JV.

The decision concluded a meeting that began with public forum at 5:30 p.m. and ran into the late evening. Trustees, staff and community members said they expect the conversation to continue in the district and the community as the district implements the name change and addresses follow‑on operational questions.