Both sides of the debate over whether to rename schools and facilities associated with Confederate figures were expressed by the public tonight at the Austin ISD board meeting. Several Lanier alums appeared to share their memories of the school during the racially charged era of the 1960s. Terry Ayers, Tommy Randall and Steve Von Roeder all insisted they were never informed of Lanier's ties to the Confederate Army. "Never once did I hear in my four years at Lanier that the school was named after a Confederate soldier," Ayers said. "We were taught he was a famous poet, period." Ayers also added that when trustees speculate about the motives behind why schools were named after historical figures, they should give their predecessors more respect by not assuming racist intent. Other speakers agreed that school name changes are important, but should not be prioritized over correcting facility errors and hazards currently present at those same schools. "When I hear some AISD schools have rats, no heat and no electricity, it occurs to me that when we arrive at the egalitarian society we all seek, we can spend money freely on whatever we wish, but the emphasis should be on health and safety," speaker Pete Fajkovski said. "Once that is solved, then maybe we can spend a little money on name changes." Still, some members of the public encouraged trustees to continue their efforts of renaming the schools and campuses, which include Zachary Taylor Fulmore Middle School, Sidney Lanier Early College High School, John H. Reagan Early College High School, Eastside Memorial Early College High School at the Albert Sidney Johnston campus, and the now-defunct John T. Allan facility. "I was heartened to hear you had begun the process to change those remaining names, but why is this process now stalled? What does that tell our children?" speaker Nancy Mims said. "Do the right thing: Resume the process immediately, and change the names." Trustee and board President Kendall Pace informed the public that a discussion over renaming the schools will be held during the board's Feb. 12 work session. At the Jan. 8 meeting trustees instructed staff to return to the drawing board develop a firm methodology explaining how schools are chosen for renaming. Originally set for a Feb. 26 vote, trustees said they would need more time to make a final decision.