The former Robert E. Lee and John Tyler high schools in Tyler now have new names.
After the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees discussed both school names, the former Robert E. Lee will become Tyler Legacy High School, while John Tyler will return to its former name of Tyler High School.
The board voted six to one to change both names on Thursday during a workshop session at the Jim Plyler Instructional Complex.
The decision came after the board voted on July 16 to rename Robert E. Lee and John Tyler high schools. During the next board meeting on July 20, the board adopted policy guidelines on how the facilities could be named in the future and set up how the community could voice their choice for the new names.
More than 2,200 names were suggested by community members from July 21 to Aug. 3, Tyler ISD Executive Director of Communications Jennifer Hines said. The submissions were made through the Tyler ISD website and in written letters.
Choices were then narrowed down through a focus group for each high school. Superintendent Marty Crawford presented the choices from the focus groups for each school.
The other name suggested for the former Robert E. Lee was Tyler Liberty High School. Crawford told the board the focus group was happy with both names but preferred Tyler Legacy. He noted that the focus groups wanted Tyler in the suggested names.
Board member Patricia Nation, who voted in opposition to both name changes, noted the possibility of backlash of including Tyler within the new names.
Although she is a proud Tyler native, she said, Nation worried that keeping Tyler could lead to another name discussion.
“I think we would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we left Tyler in there,” Nation said during the discussion of the new name for the Robert E. Lee high school.
Board President Wade Washmon said he does not have a problem with including Tyler in the names of the high schools.
“It (having Tyler in the name) almost shows the public that we’re not ashamed of the city we live in,” Washmon said.
The other two names for John Tyler were Tyler Heritage High School and Tyler United High School, Crawford said.
Washmon said he liked Tyler High School as the name, noting that it was the former name of John Tyler High School from about 1880 to 1958.
“I do believe changing it back to Tyler High School would in a sense correct any decision made back in the 50s and honor our city’s original high school, named after the city and not after a specific man as it should have remained in my opinion all along,” Washmon said.
Board member Artis Newsome said the name should have remained as Tyler High instead of becoming John Tyler in the late 1950s.
Crawford said the name changes are a compromise and an olive branch to the community.
“There is compromise in a lot of this. I see this as an opportunity for a softer landing. Is it going to be that way? Probably not. If their hearts are hardened, they’re just going to be mad about everything,” he said. “The students said they wanted Tyler because it’s where they live.”
Board member Andy Bergfeld said bringing the name Tyler High back is deserving for those who attended the school before becoming John Tyler.
“If the board feels the community would support that, it sure makes a lot of sense to me,” Bergfeld said.
Board trustee Yvonne Atkins said Tyler High will represent John Tyler well.
While the names for the schools changed, the mascots will remain the same with Tyler Legacy as the Red Raiders and Tyler High as the Lions.
Bergfeld thanked the focus group for their work to come up with names by working through the process in a mature way.
After the votes, the board met with Tyler ISD leaders on how to transition into the new names.
Crawford suggested the board use money being raised through the East Texas Communities Foundation to help with costs related to rebranding the high schools, not bond money.
According to the foundation website, $72,000 has been raised so far out of a goal of $330,000.
Crawford said the board would have to choose to accept the donation.
Tyler Legacy High School Principal Dan Crawford and Tyler High School Principal Claude Lane both said there would be minimal costs associated with the changes.
