Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Board of Education voted unanimously on April 27 to change the name of César Chávez Elementary school following a New York Times investigation into his treatment of multiple women — some underaged.
Chávez was a Mexican-American labor leader who fought for better pay, conditions and treatment of farmers. He passed away in 1993, leaving behind a long celebrated legacy. Chavez founded the United Farm Workers in 1962.
Now, this legacy is being reconsidered by many institutions named after the labor leader, including Madison’s César Chávez Elementary School. Chávez Elementary opened in 2001 and serves students on Madison’s southwest side.
Under district policy, renaming a school is a formal, multi-step process requiring community input, administrative review and final approval by the board. The renaming policy allows for community name suggestions, and residents can offer names until May 30. The MMSD Board of Education may only rename two existing buildings per academic year.
Previous name changes in Madison include Southside Elementary School — now Lori Mann Carey Elementary — where the renaming process took over 2 years from February 2023 to February 2025. Southside Elementary was a temporary name, and it was changed to honor Lori Mann Carey, an educational advocate from Madison.
Community members proposed renaming Jefferson Middle School, named after Thomas Jefferson, in February 2022 and the school was eventually renamed to Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School in February 2023. The school board chose Gillespie due to his work in securing voting rights for Black men in Wisconsin. Concerns about Jefferson’s history of enslaving people brought on the change.
Two other Madison elementary schools are in the renaming process with their namesakes brought into question. Lindbergh Elementary School and Elvehjem Elementary School were both formally proposed for renaming on March 16 and the board is accepting public comment until May 29, where the Citizens Naming Committee will then meet.
Lindbergh Elementary was named after Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly across the Atlantic solo and nonstop. However he also has ties to white supremacy ideology and Nazism.
Elvehjem Elementary was named after Conrad Elvehjem, the 13th president of the University of Wisconsin system and a supporter of a covenant to prohibit Black people from owning homes on Madison’s west side.
While no final name has been announced, the board is expected to weigh public feedback heavily as it considers new names. June 27, 2026 will be the last day to submit public comments before the first meeting of the Citizens Naming Committee.
