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Building renaming town hall planned, survey available

Image of a mailerWhat’s in a name? And, more importantly, does the history of that name mean the name should be changed?

Those are the key questions the Poughkeepsie City School District Board of Education’s Ad-Hoc Committee Building Names Study Group are considering as it examines the history of the district elementary school buildings’ namesakes. The committee is making a push this month to receive more community feedback as it moves toward its conclusion in December.

Next week, City of Poughkeepsie residents can expect to receive mailers advertising two main avenues for providing feedback: A community survey, the QR code for which is on the mailer; and a town hall meeting to be held Oct. 23 at Poughkeepsie Middle School from 7-8:30 p.m.

The committee has already been visiting district events, such as some of the recent school open house nights, to engage residents on their feelings regarding the buildings. While the format for the town hall is still being determined, the school board member and committee co-chair Dr. Andrew Rieser, announced at Tuesday’s board meeting the gymnasium would be open to accommodate any parents who wish to attend. The Community Schools Department liaisons and school monitors will also attend to watch over children in the gymnasium and the event as a whole.

The Building Name Study Group is tasked with:

  • Reaching out to community groups to engage them in conversation about school building names.
  • Compiling and reviewing information on the history of the district’s elementary building names.
  • Identifying the viewpoints, accomplishments and legacies of each building’s namesake.
  • Assessing whether these viewpoints, accomplishments and legacies align with the current district mission and community values.

If the study group determines that namesake legacies are not aligned with current mission and values, the group shall:

  • Identify alternative ways of honoring the accomplishments and learning about the legacy of a current building namesake.
  • Compile a list of alternative building names for the board’s consideration.
  • Advise the board on how to engage and include the whole city community in this process through presentations, further outreach, public hearings and/or other activities.

The committee is tasked with providing a report to the board by Jan. 1. This will provide the district with ample time to submit the required paperwork to the New York State Education Department the March 1 deadline date set by the state.

“The committee’s work is coming to a moment of great importance for us,” Rieser told the board, “so we can make recommendations as a committee before we disband as an ad-hoc committee and then make recommendations to the board.”

More details regarding the town hall meeting will be available through a future Superintendent’s Brief, the district website, ParentSquare and district social media channels as the date approaches.