Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facility Naming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board weighs community input on renaming Barnard White campus and DSis program
Summary
Staff presented survey and forum results on potential name changes for the Barnard White campus and the Dakota school independent studies (DSis) program; responses were mixed and trustees requested additional community outreach before deciding.
District staff briefed the board on a community input process about possibly renaming the Barnard White campus and the district independent studies program (DSis).
Staff said Barnard White has not housed a middle school since 2008 and that programmatic changes have created confusion when online searches still list it as a middle school. A February survey (102 respondents) and a community forum (about 10 attendees) produced mixed opinions: many within the New Haven Unified community supported a name change or modification, while larger community respondents were more likely to oppose changing the historic name.
Survey options that received notable support included "Dakota Student and Family Support Center (Barnard White campus)" and renaming DSis to "New Haven Academy." Commenters at the forum emphasized honoring Barnard White’s history and suggested options that retain the Barnard White name in some form.
Trustees discussed outreach gaps (the district did not do a direct mailing to off‑campus neighbors), the small sample size at the forum, and the need to clarify that proposed changes would rename the program or the campus use rather than close or repurpose an existing neighborhood school. Several trustees asked staff to schedule an additional community forum and broaden outreach prior to any action; staff said they would try to host further engagement before the April meeting but noted DSis renaming is more time‑sensitive.
Board action: No renaming action was taken; staff were directed to pursue additional community engagement and report back with refined recommendations and outreach plans.
