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Board gives preliminary approval to revise school-naming policy and opens 13-day public comment period
Summary
Trustees preliminarily approved revisions to Board Policy 7110 (Naming of Schools and Other District Facilities) to clarify when the naming committee makes recommendations and to preserve previously considered names as semifinalists; the board initiated a 13-day public review period.
Washoe County School District trustees on Nov. 18 gave preliminary approval to revisions to Board Policy 7110, which governs the naming of schools and other district facilities, and directed staff to open a 13-day public review and comment period.
Chief Communications Officer Michelle Anderson and Chief Operations Officer Adam Searcy walked trustees through edits that remove ambiguous language (notably the word "function"), clarify circumstances when the naming committee must make recommendations (new builds, rebuilds with grade-configuration changes), and confirm when an existing name should remain (rebuilds without grade changes or repurposing for non-instructional district use). The draft also allows the naming committee to adopt a list of previously considered names so community-preferred names can be automatically considered for future schools.
President Smith and other trustees praised the clarifications as protective of community legacies and as a mechanism to reduce naming disputes. Trustee Hall moved preliminary approval and initiated a 13-day public comment period; President Smith seconded and the motion passed 7-0.
Next steps: Staff will publish the proposed policy changes for a 13-day public review period and assemble a naming committee after the holidays in the spring, with the chief communications officer serving as liaison to clarify board prerogatives about carrying names forward if a building's use changes.
