Letter: Why Rename Columbus Elementary School Now?

MEDFORD, MA — The following letter to the editor was submitted by Medford United.

Recently, the Medford School Committee re-opened discussion about the re-naming of the Columbus School. To be clear, this decision or discussion was not initiated by the group as a whole. This was a resolution offered at a June 2020 meeting by the vice chair at the time. During that meeting the vice chair was quoted as saying “I would make this decision and put this forward if literally every person who wrote to me said do not change that name and wouldn’t bat an eyelash.” The vice chair continued to make the same declaration on social media and in the local news media.

Unfortunately, the majority of committee voted and agreed with the previous vice chair.
The subject was recently re-opened when citizens inquired, when the next step in the renaming process would occur.

We, Medford United have chosen to address this issue. We want to clear the air. Although this organization has previously existed, many members have changed, starting with how we came to reorganize our organization. We are a group of interested community residents and business owners with the sole mission is to inform our residents of issues being brought to our city through local and state regulations. We want to provide people the opportunity to make informed decisions with accurate information and provide them the right and opportunity to make their decision without biased information.

The Columbus name change is not only about a name. It’s about much more!

It’s about the process and transparency. It’s about respect, heritage, culture, traditions, for ALL without picking and choosing who elected officials are going to listen to.
Discrimination is discrimination across the board.

The residents of this city are tired, we feel as we have been stepped on as if we don’t matter any longer. We are no longer going to sit idly by and allow this to happen. Our voices will be heard!
We are not proclaiming to be closed minded to new ideas and unwelcoming to people in our city, but we need to find a happy medium for all.

We understand we can’t be dismissive to progression but by the same standard progressives can’t be disrespectful and dismissive to people that have lived in, raised their families in and invested in our city financially, volunteered and have kept generations of families in this city. These as well as other countless contributions and sacrifices were instrumental in making Medford thrive and become the great city it is today.

Elected officials need to make sure when certain topics are presented to them, they should not make quick knee jerk reactions and take a vote right then and there for the sole purpose of the almighty vote to cater to a particular constituent group. They need to be strong and say thank you state they we will do their due diligence and investigate the matter.

In conversation the rumor about the Columbus name change is not a new discussion. The point is not whether you believe the name should be changed or not, it’s the process of transparency and equity.

The message is the following:

If re-naming the Columbus School was a topic of concern in prior years when we were not dealing with a worldwide pandemic, why then is it suddenly become such a high priority of the Medford School Committee now during this worldwide crisis?

Reason would dictate the school committee’s sole focus and #1 priority should be on returning our students to school full time.

There are currently several important questions and pressing issues facing the school committee that need to be addressed.

To name a few:

*Will students be attending school in the fall full time?
*Medford Public Schools are facing a $3,000,000.00 in school deficit. How will we ensure our students receive a quality education given our fiscal constraints?
*Contracts are approaching and must be re-negotiated, thus increasing our deficit.
*What is being done to prepare students for colleges or the workforce?
*What are vocational students, in particular, who lost many hands-on instruction hours be facing?
*What is the comparison difference in the educational level between the students of Medford with the surrounding cities?
*Have they reached out to the Department of Education to find out if steps are being taking to collect this comparison data?
*How are colleges taking Covid circumstances into consideration? Are discussions being held with students and parents to inform them?
*What plans are being made for our students to celebrate lifetime memories that are celebrated during the education’s natural transitions? Memories students and parents cherish, such as graduations, proms, moving up ceremonies?

It is disheartening, to know the prior vice chair’s #1 priority is the re-naming of the Columbus School stating saying “I would make this decision and put this forward if literally every person who wrote to me said do not change that name and wouldn’t bat an eyelash”. A statement made very clear, in which an elected official has placed personal intentions higher on the priority list than the importance of acknowledging the will of the community who elected this former vice chair.

We need to be sensible, to place our personal feelings aside and focus on our only priority-our children’s education.

We voted for our elected officials to make the proper decisions.

We have the right to inform them what our #1 priority is. Time is of the essence.

The Columbus School has been standing since 1929, it’s a delicate discussion on both sides, we need to have an open heart and mind.

We believe discussion can and should be tabled.

If everyone believes we should come together let’s at least come together as a city for what we believe in together.

Let’s concentrate on what is at stake, the education and the future of our students.
A continued progress for a great Medford!!!

Respectfully,
Medford United