School Board To Discuss Possible OKCPS Name Changes

Oklahoma City Public Schools will be taking up whether to rename schools named after Confederate leaders. 

The topic has sparked controversy in the community, and the district is looking at the names of three different elementary schools.

Those are Lee, Stand Watie and Jackson. All were named after Confederate Army commanders or generals. 

There was a fourth school under scrutiny, Wheeler Elementary, but it was determined the school was named after a founding father of Oklahoma City and not of the Confederacy.

Back in August, OKCPS Superintendent Aurora Lora acknowledged the controversy surrounding the proposed name changes but said the changes were about making sure school was a place students wanted to be.

"I will say, the actions that have been going on in the nation are what has sparked the conversation here," Lora said. "If school names are something that are not helping kids feel valued, then I would support changing them."

It would cost roughly $50,000 per school to change the name. 

Lora has said the funding would come from community partnerships and one local attorney has agreed to pay for all of it already.

Lora said any new names would include input from the community. 

The school board meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Monday.