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Property committee rejects renaming of Dr. Milton J. Becknell facility to Sarah T. Reed after public comment
Summary
The Orleans Parish Property Committee considered a superintendent recommendation to rename the Dr. Milton J. Becknell facility to Sarah T. Reed but failed to approve the recommendation; the board also declined an amendment that would have placed both names on the facility and waived the policy’s public-input requirement.
The Orleans Parish School Board Property Committee voted on July 28 on a recommendation to rename the Dr. Milton J. Becknell facility, 7301 Dwyer Road, to the Sarah T. Reed facility. After public comment from alumni and the Becknell family and extended board debate over process and signage, the committee voted the recommendation down in a roll call, with five members opposing and two in favor.
Gregory Lee Jr., who identified himself as president of the Sarah T. Reed Alumni Association, urged the board to approve the name change, saying it was about “preserving a legacy” and providing a consistent identity for current and future students. In contrast, Salvatore Becknell, who identified himself as the son of Dr. Milton J. Becknell, asked the board to keep his father’s name on the Livingston facility and said removing it would be a loss.
President Eames proposed a compromise — naming the school program Sarah T. Reed while keeping Becknell on the facility, or putting both names on the building — to try to produce a "win-win" for both sides. Board counsel clarified a key legal distinction: the CMO (school operator) controls the program name, while the board controls the facility name. Counsel also explained the relevant district policy (Policy FDC) for naming and renaming requires a 45-day public input period and at least two public meetings; the board may waive those steps only by a two-thirds vote.
Board Member Zervagon moved an amendment to name the facility with both names (a combined form such as "Sarah T. Reed–Dr. Milton J. Becknell") and to waive the policy’s public-input requirements. The waiver portion of that amendment received four yes votes and three no votes, which did not meet the two-thirds threshold and therefore failed. The committee then voted on the administration’s original recommendation to rename the facility to Sarah T. Reed; the motion failed on a roll call that the clerk recorded as 5 no and 2 yes. The facility will remain the Dr. Milton J. Becknell facility and the program name remains under the CMO’s authority.
Quotes from both public commenters framed the opposing community views: Gregory Lee Jr. said the alumni "respectfully ask that the facility at 7301 Dwyer Boulevard be named Sarah T. Reid High School," while Salvatore Becknell said he stood before the board "to speak on my father's behalf and ask that you let his name remain on the Livingston facility." (Transcript contains inconsistent spellings of Sarah T. Reed/Reid; the administration presented the request as "Sarah T. Reed.")
The committee did not adopt a naming compromise from the dais and accepted counsel’s explanation that a process waiver would have required a two-thirds vote; the failed votes mark the administrative recommendation as denied and leave the facility name unchanged.
