Politically Challenged - school name controversy - Brief Article

School Administrator, Feb, 1997

Naming a school has become an especially sensitive issue.

One month after a community panel selected the name, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, for a new school scheduled to open in Rochester this fall, the board of education begged to differ. Board members opted on a 4-3 vote for the panel's second choice, Century High, after conservatives reacted coolly to honoring the former First Lady.

In its decision, the school board also considered this: an informal vote among sixth graders-the new school's class of 2002--favored Century over Eleanor Roosevelt, 547188. Board members weren't necessarily enamored with the Century name, but since the district's successful $37.3 million bond campaign a year ago promised greater community input, board members couldn't easily reject the panel's top two preferences.