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Glenrock board approves renaming Central Elementary for Tuskegee Airman Thomas L. Hawkins
Summary
After extensive public comment and board debate, the Glenrock Board of Education approved a resolution to rename Central Elementary School to Thomas L. Hawkins Central Elementary School; the action must be affirmed in a second consecutive meeting under district policy.
The Glenrock Board of Education approved a resolution to rename Central Elementary School to Thomas L. Hawkins Central Elementary School following an extended public-comment period and board discussion. The board voted to approve the package of resolutions that included the renaming motion; under district policy the name change must be approved again at a subsequent public meeting before it takes effect.
Supporters urged the board to honor Hawkins' service as one of the Tuskegee Airmen and his local roots. "I ask you to approve this motion to enhance the school name to Thomas L. Hawkins Central Elementary School," said Sue Shrey Forrest, who identified herself as a Glenrock resident and former board member. John Cole, reading an abridged letter from a classmate, described Hawkins as a figure whose story "says something" about Glenrock's history and urged the board to act.
Board members who supported the renaming cited survey results and the symbolic value to students. One member summarized the committee's survey as "a clear 2 to 1" in favor and said the measure would "demonstrate to generations of students what it looks like to make a difference in the world through courage, service, sacrifice." Several public commenters and alumni gave accounts of segregation-era experiences and described Hawkins as a role model whose name would bring that history to the forefront of local education.
Opponents and cautious members raised questions about preserving the school's historical identity, administrative and technical steps required to change the school name in databases, and community buy-in. "I will be voting no on the proposal to rename Central School," said a board member who argued that a town-wide monument or broader program could be a less divisive option. That board member also proposed a town statue and an initial fundraising target of about $200,000 to create a lasting, centrally located memorial for Hawkins.
Board members discussed implementation details and funding. Administration cited an estimate of roughly $12,000 as a starting point for the logistical and administrative costs of renaming, but said they did not have a firm, itemized total at the meeting. The board noted that fundraising offers had been made by community members, but that the board itself is not a primary fundraising body and would need to determine how any costs would be handled.
When the board took the roll-call votes on the package of resolutions that included the renaming motion, the chair announced that the motions had passed. Because the board's naming policy requires approval in two successive public meetings, the renaming will not be final until the board votes in the next meeting and records a second majority in favor.
The board also discussed related educational options, including developing curriculum content to teach students about Hawkins and the Tuskegee Airmen, and pledged to follow up on the technical steps required to implement a name change should the second vote affirm the decision.
The board moved into closed session later in the meeting to continue a personnel matter concerning the chief school administrator search. The district scheduled a public input session with the superintendent-search consultant on May 21 at 6:00 p.m.
