Board approves renaming Monroe 56 building 'Cantrick' after community survey; vote 4–3

The Monroe Public Schools Board of Education voted 4–3 on Sept. 23 to rename the facility the district had been tracking as Monroe 56 to "Cantrick." The district presented results from a community survey of 980 responses run Aug. 27–Sept. 10; administrative assistant Jamie reported the breakdown: "There were a total of 980 responses on the community survey...43.7% identified themselves as community member...31.5% identified primarily as a parent...21.6% were staff members...and 3.2% were students," which board members cited in deliberations.

Board members weighed preserving local history against adding a clarifying modifier for new families. One board member moving the motion argued for the plain historic name: "Just Cantrick," which the mover described as what the community repeatedly used in comments. Opponents said adding a modifier (for example "Cantrick 5–6" or "Cantrick Intermediate") could help new residents understand grade configurations. The roll-call recorded votes as four yes and three no; board minutes recorded the outcome as approved. The board president said the motion "passes" and the district will update official entries currently reported to the state as Monroe 56.

The board discussed operational steps to align the state education entity master record and CEPI reporting that required a facility name during registration; staff noted Monroe 56 had been used for state reporting while a final public name was pending. District officials said they can change the name with state systems after the board action. The change takes effect for district messaging and signage as administrators schedule next steps.