What’s in a name? A lot if it’s Thurston or Lacey

Changing the name of a school district turns out to be a much harder task than one might expect.

The North Thurston School District formed in 1953, and the district changed its name to North Thurston Public Schools almost 15 years ago. The district is mulling a new name change to reflect its largest community, and both retiring North Thurston Supt. Raj Manhas and Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder have favored a change to Lacey Public Schools.

The proposed change looks harmless enough to us, but a name change ought to have meaning, and achieve its intended results.

In this case, a new name should help build the local community’s identification with its schools.

That means residents’ sense of ownership of the school district and sense of responsibility to the community’s students is what matters here.

North Thurston School Board member David Newkirk made a point along those lines during a recent School Board work session, saying:

“Being a military brat, being all over the world, being in the military, (people say) ‘Where ya from?’ I say Lacey,” Newkirk said. “I don’t say Olympia for a reason, because I do not like certain things in Olympia, that’s just the way I am. But it is an identification thing. … Nobody says, ‘I’m from North Thurston County.’ ”

But does switching the name to Lacey accomplish that goal of better community buy-in? And is it worth the cost to change signage, letter heads and names on the sides of school buses?

We fear the jury is out — even if costs are slim. District officials say unavoidable, near-term costs would be less than $10,000 to replace three large district signs and an Internet domain name; letterheads, logos and names on buses could be updated as new equipment and supplies are ordered.

A hearing tonight (May 12) should help part the waters and show where public sympathy lies. In an earlier School Board work session and in news stories published by The Olympian, a split opinion in the community has appeared, and resident Baurice Nelson is circulating a petition to oppose the name change.

What’s needed here is a sense of a community coming together around a shared purpose and name. Anything short of that is not worth pursuing.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 6:30 PM with the headline "What’s in a name? A lot if it’s Thurston or Lacey."