As Georgetown ISD prepares to open Elementary School No. 11 in August, the board of trustees approved a name for the campus during its meeting Feb. 17.

The school, located at 4901 Scenic Lake Drive, will be named George Washington Carver Elementary School, and the current school building will be repurposed. “What is your reason for choosing to consider stripping George Washington Carver Elementary of its name?” said Paulette Taylor, a former teacher at the school. “It should not be assumed that the name automatically goes with the new school.” Taylor cited a dissertation written by state Rep. Marsha Farney, R-Georgetown, that chronicles Georgetown public schools from 1850–1966. “It is my prayer that a swish of a pen [and] a showing of hands won’t be the detriment of George Washington Carver Elementary losing its name as well as its legacy,” she said. According to a Farney, the board of trustees renamed the Georgetown Colored School to Carver High School in the 1930s. The Carver school served as the city’s segregated black campus until 1964 when the Westside School opened and the Carver building was closed. Taylor approached the board in the early 1990s to have the Westside School renamed as George Washington Carver Elementary School. The district’s plans to repurpose the current building for other academic uses led the board to decide if the name should stay with the building or be used for the new campus. “Integration was not easy in Georgetown,” board President Scott Alarcon said. “The significance of the struggle that occurred here and what the name George Washington Carver means to our community is not something that I take lightly. The risk of even possibly losing that name for a year is not one that I’m personally willing to take.” Trustees voted 6-1 to approve the name. Trustee Ronna Johnson was the lone dissenting vote. “I realize and respect that the board has a very strong vision for the name Carver, but I also respect that it has a deep-rooted historical significance to the community,” she said. Superintendent Fred Brent said the decision to repurpose the former Carver is part of a bigger plan that the district has to move away from the split-campus model, which divides some elementary campuses into pre-K through second grades and others into third through fifth grades. “I think it’s important that the community understands that the board began the pursuit of a prekindergarten through [fifth grade] model for teaching and learning across the district when the bond was passed to build this new elementary school,” he said. “The name Carver will stay relevant regardless of what the board does. … And we will always honor the historic significance of that site.” Brent confirmed that the historic landmarks on the former Carver campus would not be affected by the changes. However, at the end of the meeting, Taylor requested the outside classroom that bears her name not be moved to the new location. “I taught there 31 years,” she said. “Of course the board can do what they want, but I would rather my name not go to the [new campus].” During the meeting the board also approved the attendance boundary changes, which affects students currently zoned for the new Carver as well as Pickett, Mitchell and Cooper elementary schools. To see the new attendance zones visit www.georgetownisd.org.