The school naming subcommittee of the Citizen Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) has prepared a recommendation for names for the two new elementary schools opening in Salem this fall. One school is being constructed in East Salem near Sunnyview and Cordon Roads, and another is being constructed in South Salem on a portion of the former Battlecreek Golf Course.

The subcommittee received over 500 individual nomination submissions, which resulted in 100 names for consideration. The subcommittee then held public forums to hear testimony from the community regarding how a nomination met the established criteria for new school names.

Download the criteria for new school names [PDF]

Download the list of names nominations [PDF]

Download the First Reading document [PDF]

For the South elementary school, the subcommittee recommends Battlecreek Elementary School. The name clearly identifies the location of the elementary school and the neighborhood in which it is located.

For the East elementary school, the subcommittee recommends Cesar E. Chavez. Chavez is a nationally recognized leader in America's labor movement and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

The subcommittee's recommendation will be presented to the School Board for first reading at the February 14, 2012 School Board meeting. The Board is scheduled to vote on the recommendation at the March 13, 2012 meeting. School Board meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. in the Student Services Center. Public testimony is heard at the meetings.