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Property committee hears request to rename Livingston Collegiate Academy building to Sarah T. Reed
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Summary
A Collegiate Academies representative asked the Owens Parish School Board property committee to change the Livingston Collegiate Academy building name to Sarah T. Reed to reduce community confusion and honor an educator’s legacy; board members raised concerns about preserving the existing Dr. Milton Becknell namesake and asked for follow-up and placement on a full-board agenda.
The Owens Parish School Board property committee on April 28 heard a request from Collegiate Academies to formally rename the Livingston Collegiate Academy facility (the Dr. Milton Becknell building) to Sarah T. Reed.
Stacy Martin, representing Collegiate Academies, said the change would align the building name with the high-school program and “resolve that confusion immediately.” She described Sarah T. Reed as a pioneering educator in New Orleans whose legacy, she said, should be visible and tied to the high school’s identity.
Martin told the committee the building already houses the same people and programs and that renaming would provide “a clear, unified identity that families, alumni, and the broader community can rally around.” She also said Collegiate Academies has worked with the Becknell family to identify alternative recognition opportunities in other buildings at Carver, including the library and the gym, and that family members would visit a Carver building next week to review options.
Board members expressed mixed reactions. One asked whether Sarah T. Reed had been a district school in their members’ districts and noted the potential for confusion when program names and building names diverge. Another highlighted that Dr. Milton Becknell’s daughter has repeatedly asked that her father’s name appear on a building; the committee heard that Collegiate Academies offered several Carver locations for that recognition and will host a walkthrough with the family.
A committee member proposed preserving historic names through dual signage or hyphenation so that both program identity and legacy names remain visible on buildings. Several members urged the superintendent and communications staff to prepare proactive messaging for families once decisions about program moves and building names are finalized.
No formal vote on the renaming was taken by the property committee; Property Chair Bowen confirmed the item will be placed on a future full-board agenda for formal consideration.
What’s next: The renaming request will be scheduled for a board agenda at a later meeting, and district staff said they would continue discussions with Dr. Becknell’s family about alternative recognition locations.
