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Board agrees to a community-informed process to rename Tri Campus while preserving Betty F. Williams name
Summary
Staff proposed campus-name options for the Tri Campus consolidation; board members asked for an ad hoc community committee and policy review to ensure the Betty F. Williams name is preserved and to avoid names with harmful historical connotations.
Melissa Ingram, executive director of facility services, briefed the board on renaming options related to the Tri Campus additions project (target move-in August 2028). Staff proposed the campus name could be framed as "Betty F. Williams Campus/Scholars/Learning Campus/ Education Campus," while retaining the current building names (Diamond Springs Elementary and Newtown Elementary) and updating the attendance-zone name to match the campus name.
Board members stressed a careful community process. Doctor Green recommended forming an ad hoc committee with community representation and staff to vet name options and flagged the risk that some labels (for example, "learning campus") could carry negative historical connotations in parts of the community. School-board attorney Cammy Linetti said Policy 3-74 may need minor clarifications around campuses and grounds and will be taken to the policy review committee; staff suggested bringing possible policy edits in August and bringing naming for board action in September if ready.
The board directed staff to proceed with small policy updates to clarify campus naming semantics, propose an ad hoc community committee structure (to be established by board action), and plan a community engagement timeline ahead of construction-groundbreaking events in fall 2026. Members asked staff to preserve the Betty F. Williams name in some form and to return with an engagement plan.
