SAN ANTONIO – The Judson Independent School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday agreed to change the name of the district's third high school from Mackey High School to Veterans Memorial High School.
When trustees announced that they voted 5-1 in favor of renaming the school, there was thunderous applause and plenty of cheers.
The few speakers who addressed the board prior to the vote all said they were in favor of the name change, including Lee Ann Ferguson, a Judson ISD taxpayer, who asked the crowd what they wanted.
"Everybody raise your hand if you are a vet or know a vet," said Ferguson, as she turned to the crowd. "Well, there you go, everybody. This would be a school named after you and for someone you know."
The name change comes after much discussion and debate.
The board voted in September to name the school after Willis Mackey, the district's former superintendent, who retired in 2014. Three months later, the board voted to keep the name. District officials said there were nearly 400 names submitted from a community input survey.
But many parents and residents opposed the name, saying that it should honor the community's veterans.
When the school opens in August, only freshmen and sophomores will be walking the halls. The school will widen enrollment to juniors and seniors over the next two years.