Columbia can expect update for Lee Elementary renaming process in coming weeks

After the Columbia Public School District’s Board of Education voted Monday night to create a renaming committee for Robert E. Lee Elementary, the administration has been working to find out what next steps it needs to take.

According to Michelle Baumstark, the spokesperson for CPS, the community will find out more information about how to apply for committee membership and how to submit naming suggestions in the next couple of weeks.

Baumstark also said the process will be similar to how a name is decided for a new school.

The process is vaguely outlined in the district’s policies, which is available here.

Information based off of the facility names policy, a naming committee will be chosen by the board of education and the group will make up members of the community, students and staff. Staff members expecting to work at the new facility may also be appointed to the committee, if possible.

Since Robert E. Lee Elementary is not a new school, it’s a possibility that a current staff member at the school will be on the committee.

As far as deciding the new name of the school, committee members will not be able to submit a possible name, according to Baumstark. The name suggestions will come from the community.

Johnathan Sessions, a member on the board of education, said the district usually has more time to create a naming committee and file the appropriate paperwork to get the process started. He also said this situation is a little different from naming a brand new school, so the process may also be a little different.

Baumstark said when the information and applications are available, they will be posted on the district website’s homepage.