San Benito High School District trustees discussed whether to name buildings after living people as they took steps toward drafting the district’s first board policy on the issue last week.
Trustee Juan Robledo asked to have the item on the agenda after the topic of naming buildings emerged during board meeting discussions about construction, according to the agenda packet.
“We had a really good discussion,” said Superintendent John Perales. “The board wants to take a longer look at the board policy and perhaps make some changes to it, which might include naming buildings after living people.”
There is currently no board policy for naming a facility, explained Tricia Cooper, the administrative assistant to the superintendent.
A sample board policy on naming, which came from the California School Boards Association, was included in the board packet, Cooper explained. That sample had been edited to allow facilities to be named after living people who had made contributions of statewide, national or global significance, but not living people who made local contributions.
The topic will return to the board for future consideration, Cooper explained.
At least four spaces will need names in the future. The new physical education building will include weight and wrestling rooms, which could have different names, the superintendent explained. Then, the career and technical education program building and the arts building will need names, Perales said.
