The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Board of Education approved new names for three elementary schools on August 24, concluding months of community discussion and review.
The name changes had a much shorter timeline compared to previous processes, with the board receiving proposals in March and April 2026 for the three schools.
Lori Mann Carey Elementary School, formerly Southside Elementary and Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School, formerly Thomas Jefferson Middle School, were both successfully changed in previous years — each taking over a year for final board approval on the name changes.
Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, César Chávez Elementary School will become Roberto G. Sánchez Elementary School, Conrad A. Elvehjem Elementary School will become Ada Deer Elementary School and Charles Lindbergh Elementary School will become Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Elementary School. The board approved the changes after reviewing recommendations from volunteer citizen naming committees.
“The committees reviewed community-submitted name suggestions, considered the history and identity of each school and its surrounding community, and developed finalists for consideration by the Board,” MMSD wrote in a press release.
The board voted earlier this year to remove Chávez’s name from César Chávez Elementary School following allegations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader. Community members submitted dozens of potential names before a citizen committee narrowed the list and gave its recommendations to the board.
The school is to be renamed Roberto G. Sánchez Elementary School after the late University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Roberto García Sánchez, who advocated for bilingual and first-generation students and started Sánchez Scholars, a scholarship program, after retirement alongside the Madison Community Foundation to provide support to these students.
According to MMSD policy 6700, the board may not rename more than 2 public buildings per school year. However, the MMSD communications department said the Board may change names following a clause in the policy.
“The third of our three recent renamings, for César Chávez Elementary School, was undertaken in line with item 12 of Board Policy 6700,” the department told the Cardinal. “The Board maintains the primary authority to initiate a renaming process at its discretion should it determine that an existing facility name is no longer consistent with the District’s mission, core values, or community standards.”
Other name options for the school included Maple Grove, Ice Age Trail and Dejope. The renaming process started April 27th for Chávez Elementary, one of the shortest renaming timelines in recent years.
Ada Deer Elementary School will honor the late Menominee Nation leader, educator and activist who became the first Native American woman to lead the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Deer, a UW-Madison graduate, played a key role in restoring federal recognition to the Menominee Tribe and remained a prominent advocate for Indigenous communities throughout her career.
Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Elementary School will recognize the Madison disability rights advocate who gained national recognition for his appearance on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Erlanger, who used a wheelchair because of a spinal condition, spent his life advocating for accessibility and inclusion.
