Over objections from a vocal group of alums, the St. Paul school board voted Tuesday evening to drop James Monroe’s name from two school buildings.
Troubled by the fifth U.S. president’s slave ownership, parents and students at Linwood-Monroe Arts Plus spent a year and a half exploring the change before settling on Global Arts Plus.
Students on Tuesday said the new name reflects the magnet school’s students, who come from all over the city and world to attend classes in the Summit Hill and West Seventh neighborhoods.
But scores of graduates of the former Monroe High — known until recently as Linwood-Monroe’s upper campus — fought to preserve the presidential name.
“It means our history, our traditions,” said Dave Bredemus, a retired Monroe employee.
Patrick Fleury, a 1966 Monroe High graduate, called the name change a waste of tax money. New school signs and uniforms for the band and sports teams are expected to cost close to $13,000.
“Ask them to raise their own money and then we can have this conversation,” Fleury said.
Board members approved the name change on a 6-1 vote.
John Brodrick voted no, saying it’s “a very significant and important move” to remove a president’s name from a school.
Jeanelle Foster said a school’s name should reflect today’s values. Still, she sympathized with Monroe alums, saying she attended Hancock Elementary, which is now Hamline.
“When that school name changed, that hurt,” she said.
In voting for the name change Tuesday, board members said the district also would find a way to honor the old Monroe name. They’ll also work toward policy revisions that get the board more involved in school naming.
The St. Paul district has two other schools named for slave-owning presidents: the grades 6-12 Washington Technology Magnet and Jackson Elementary.
