• Facility Naming

    A selections committee reviews all nominations prior to making a recommendation to the Board. The Plano ISD Board policy is listed below. For more information about naming facilities, please contact the communications department at (469)-752-8150. 

    Plano ISD Board Policy CW(Local): Naming Facilities

    For the purposes of this policy, facilities are defined as:

    1. A school campus building;
    2. Rooms within a school building;
    3. Structures related to a school building;
    4. Athletic fields and facilities; and
    5. Any other building or adjacent land area that is the property of the District and the Board.

    The Board retains final authority for naming all District facilities.

    At the Board’s request, the Superintendent shall appoint a committee to solicit recommendations for a facility’s name in accordance with administrative procedures. Recommendations and suggested options shall be submitted to the Board for consideration and final approval.

    Naming New Facilities

    Naming decisions can be in honor of certain individuals who have attained achievements of extraordinary and lasting distinction in the District and/or Collin County. Generally, the individuals shall have had direct, substantial, and active association with the District. Selection may also be based on the individual’s record of scholarship, creativity, leadership, humanitarian service, or public service. The Board intends that names given to school buildings and other District facilities be meaningful and appropriate.

    When naming a new facility, criteria shall be considered to ensure the chosen name is meaningful and appropriate. Criteria to consider include, but are not limited to, the following:

    1. Facilities may be named for alumni or currently/previously enrolled students, former employees, former Trustees, or such other distinguished persons who have rendered outstanding and exemplary service to the District and/or Collin County.
    2. Facilities may be named for benefactors, provided the gift/donation meets an amount determined appropriate for the facility by the Board, which warrants a facility named on behalf of the benefactor.
    3. Precedent currently exists for honoring a superintendent prior to departure from the District.

    Recommendation Process

    The Superintendent shall appoint a committee for the purpose of collecting information, reviewing requests and proposals, and making recommendations relating to the process of naming certain specified District facilities. The committee shall follow District guidelines during the recommendation process. The committee shall consist of at least one Board member and at least two selected District administrative staff. The committee shall exist only for the purpose stated above and only as long as is necessary to complete the naming process for a specified facility or facilities.

    Nominations from community, students, and staff shall be accepted to provide the committee with viable names for considerations. Nominations shall be directed to the Superintendent or designee. The committee or Board shall not consider petitions.

    Nominations shall be made in writing on a form provided by the District within the designated time frames established by the District and only accepted for the school building or facility for which the names are being solicited.

    The committee shall review all requests and formulate all recommendations pursuant to criteria set forth below. The role of the committee is to review any specific or general requests and proposals for naming District facilities. Because of the sensitive nature of this naming process, the committee shall not contact any individuals whose names are under consideration. It shall also keep strictly confidential all information it has received or discussed, and any recommendation(s) it makes. After due consideration, the committee shall make its recommendation(s), with appropriate documentation, to the Board.

    Specific Criteria

    The committee shall consider the following in making recommendations to the Board for the naming of any facility:

    1. Whether the nominee reflects direct and substantial association and achievement of extraordinary and lasting distinction (e.g., an individual’s scholarship, creativity, leadership, and humanitarian and public service).
    2. If a nominee has served the District:
      1. The length of years of service;
      2. The contributions, both subjective and objective, to the District. Emphasis shall be given to the quality as well as the quantity of benefits and value derived by the District as a direct result of the nominees’ contributions.
    3. Precedent currently exists for honoring a Plano ISD superintendent prior to departure from District.
    4. Weight may be given to an individual who gained distinction in the area or areas related to usage of the facility.
    5. Campuses may be named upon opening, but other facilities may be named or renamed over time as the need and/or situation arises.

    All educational facilities that house classrooms shall be named in accordance with the following:

    1. Senior high schools may be named to indicate location.
    2. Elementary, middle, and high schools may be named to honor educators with outstanding service to the District. The committee may determine that there is a compelling reason to choose an honoree other than an educator. However, educators shall be given first consideration.
    3. Alternative schools, magnet schools, or other educational facilities may be given names in honor of an individual and/or that indicate function.

    Additional facilities that may include names of honorees:

    • Competition sports facilities;
    • Major sports/extracurricular activities centers; and
    • Administration buildings.

    For naming of other District facilities—including portions of a building such as wings, annexes, libraries, auditoriums, gymnasiums, drives located on school property, and the like—recommendations must be made to the Superintendent or designee with final approval made by the Board if consensus is not achieved. Naming of these facilities may be designated for a specific period of time.

    Renaming Facilities

    The Board shall have the right to rename facilities or portions thereof in situations deemed unusual or appropriate. If a facility is renamed, appropriate use of the former name shall be considered before a change is approved. Name changes shall only occur during the summer before the beginning of a school year, except in unusual circumstances.

    A facility or portion of a facility may be renamed based on a programmatic change if the new name would not affect the namesake of the facility or portion of the facility. The name change shall require the recommendation of the Superintendent’s cabinet. Final approval by the Board shall be required.