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Board approves naming theater for Bill Garvey, retains McFarland Performing Arts Center name for facility
Summary
After public comment and stakeholder feedback, the board voted unanimously to designate the high-school theater the 'Bill Garvey Theater' while keeping the facility name 'McFarland Performing Arts Center.' The Garvey family pledged to help cover signage costs, the board said.
The McFarland School District board unanimously approved a naming plan to honor the late educator Bill Garvey on Monday, designating the high-school theater as the Bill Garvey Theater while keeping the larger facility identified as the McFarland Performing Arts Center.
A written public comment from Michelle Garvey—read aloud by board member Megan Chapman—asked the district to rename the performing-arts space for Bill Garvey to ensure "every student who steps into the theater and every musician who plays a note remembers the man who spent his life building the stage for all of us." The letter recounted Garvey’s decades of service to McFarland schools and youth programs.
Board members discussed several naming options and reported receiving feedback from the Garvey family and PAC staff. Trustees said the family supports naming the theater specifically and has indicated it will help cover signage and related costs so no district funds should be necessary.
A motion to implement the recommended naming—renaming the specific theater the Bill Garvey Theater and retaining McFarland Performing Arts Center for the facility—was moved and seconded by trustees and approved in a voice vote recorded as unanimous.
Board members said the plan balances local branding for the PAC while honoring Garvey’s legacy inside the theater itself. The trustees also noted plans for a display describing Garvey’s contributions and that any formal ribbon-cutting or signage work will be scheduled and communicated publicly.
The vote followed public comments and a brief discussion of spelling preferences for the word "theater/theatre" and logistics; the board did not authorize district expenditures for signage and said the Garvey family would cover pledged costs.
