School board names new North River Ranch campus Barbara A. Harvey K-8; allows community to recommend name for existing site

The School Board of Manatee County voted Dec. 10 to name the district's new North River Ranch school campus "Barbara A. Harvey K'8 at North River Ranch" and authorized a process for students, staff and parent-teacher organizations to submit name recommendations for the district's existing campus.

Vice Chair Tiffany Sprague moved to name the new campus and to solicit community recommendations for the original campus. The board approved the naming motion 4-1; Charles Kennedy cast the sole dissenting vote on both motions.

Board members said the two-step approach was meant to secure community buy-in for the existing campus name while settling the formal name for the new facility. "That will give us clarity," Sprague said, recommending the public involvement be limited in scope and timeline. A board direction asked staff to work with the school's principal and supervisor on a short process (staff suggested a two-week turnaround) to collect recommendations from students, staff and PTO members and return suggested names to the board in January.

The votes formalize a decision the board discussed during a prior workshop and at the Nov. 19 reorganization meeting. The newly named campus will appear on district materials with the appended location ("at North River Ranch") to distinguish it from the existing campus.

Board members also discussed keeping the process straightforward to avoid extended staff workloads; staff said they would present a brief plan for community input and return recommendations promptly.

The motions passed after public recognition of the school's history and the board's desire for community involvement in naming the existing site.

(See actions[] and provenance for vote details and transcript evidence.)