Board Overrides Naming Panel, Keeps Individual Names in Chavez Renaming

The New Haven Unified School District Board of Education rejected its own naming committee's recommendation on Oct. 6, 2026, and reopened the door to naming Cesar Chavez Middle School's successor for a person. The board voted down the committee's criteria and directed it to return with three individual names and three geographic names, factoring in the latest community survey. The decision came after dozens of speakers, many from the Punjabi Sikh community, accused the district of changing the rules midstream, and on a night when one trustee publicly described a divided board.

• Board rejects the committee's no-individual-names criterion and orders six name options before the Oct. 27 forum
• Dozens of speakers, many from the Punjabi Sikh community and SORPAC, urge the board to honor survey results
• Vice President Melanie Freeberg says she won't sign the superintendent evaluation, citing a "board of 3"
• Parents and swimmers press for faster repairs to the closed Dan Oden pool at James Logan High
• Board backs Proposition 3 after the teachers union warns of a nearly $22M loss; climate resolution passes over Freeberg's objection
• Fifth Equity Report Card shows attendance up and suspension rates under 3%

The basics: Board Policy 7310, adopted in 1993 and revised in 2018, allows schools to be named for individuals with outstanding contributions or for geographic, historical or community connections. The district ran two community surveys and expanded its Facility Names Committee to 13 members, chosen from more than 150 applicants. The committee first met Sept. 30.