Austin ISD votes to rename schools with ties to Confederacy

AUSTIN, Texas -- Austin ISD board members voted 7 to 2 on Monday to move forward with renaming five school that have names tied to the Confederacy.

The topic was first approached back in November, and has been receiving community input.

The schools being renamed are those with ties to the Confederacy:

John T. Allan Facility

Zachary Taylor Fulmore Middle School

Sidney Lanier Early College High School

John H. Reagan Early College High School

Eastside Memorial Early College High School at the Johnston Campus

A former student and teacher at Reagan High School told KXAN-TV, "If one of our core values of the school system is to make all students feel welcome, then I feel the first thing of order is getting rid of those oppressive names."

No decision has been made about the future names for the campuses. The board is still determining how those names will be chosen.

The estimated cost for the change could be $322,000.