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Naming debate at Lindbergh committee centers on uniqueness, indigenous names and accessibility
Summary
Committee members debated name uniqueness (removing duplicative 'Cherokee' names), whether to prefer Yahara Heights over Yahara River, inclusion of Indigenous-language names, and flagged accessibility concerns tied to a proposal to honor disability-rights advocate Jeffrey Clay Erlanger.
Members of the Citizens Naming Committee spent much of the July 15 meeting debating how candidate names would be perceived and whether they advance the district’s naming criteria. Several substantive threads emerged: uniqueness and emergency-response clarity, Indigenous-language naming and community blessing, and accessibility and representation.
On uniqueness, multiple members said names that closely match existing schools would cause confusion. "It's incredibly unfortunate that we already have a Cherokee... Cherokee Marsh would be a bull's eye," said a committee member who led the discussion; the group agreed to remove similar "Cherokee" entries to avoid public confusion and potential problems for emergency dispatch. The committee later debated three north-themed options — Northport, Northland and Northside — and agreed to drop the generic "Northside" while keeping Northport and Northland after members explained local meanings attached to those names.
Committee members discussed Indigenous-language proposals (for example, Dijope and multiple Ho-Chunk-language words offered for 'firefly' and 'duck'). Several members urged sensitivity: secure blessing or confirmation from language elders and descendants before finalizing spelling and usage. "If we did go the way of an indigenous name, just double checking we have their blessing," one member said; staff agreed to follow up and flagged that some names required additional researcher input.
The proposal to name the school for Jeffrey Clay Erlanger, a Madison disability-rights activist who attended the site when it was accessible to him, prompted questions about the facility's current accessibility. "He was a person, a disabled person and a Jewish person… Can we use this as an impetus to push the district on accessibility in the school?" a member asked; district staff replied that building services is reviewing retrofits across aging facilities and offered to provide contacts and feasibility notes. Other members said removing such a name because the building currently lacks full accessibility could be discriminatory and suggested the naming could motivate upgrades.
Members also raised potential controversy around other local names (for example, Milton McPike) where past allegations or local history merit further vetting. Committee staff said they would verify flagged claims and publish clarifications with the public materials so the community can see what is verified and what remains under review.
The meeting closed with staff compiling a 22-name list to post for the July 23 hearing and a motion, carried by voice vote, to send the list to public comment. The committee will reconvene Aug. 12 to re-vote after hearing input and narrow finalists to up to four names for the school board.
