Debate Heats Up Over Renaming of Dallas Schools

The debate to rename two Dallas schools after President Barack Obama and newly sworn-in Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor is heating up.

Much of the focus has been on the call to add Mr. Obama’s name to a much-loved south Dallas school. DISD school board trustee Ron Price called for the change to Billy Earl Dade Learning Center to Barack Obama Middle School. However, former educators like Wilber Williams said a tribute to the President shouldn’t be made at the expense of a pillar of south Dallas’ education community.

{snip}

“Overwhelmingly, the parents and the kids said we want Barack Obama and when you see those kids eyes, their eyes just started glowing, and even the parent’s eyes were glowing just for the fact that their kid would one day go to the Barack Obama school,” Price said.

So far, there hasn’t been much debate over the selected Sotomayor school.