BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Bakersfield City School District Board of Education is slated to make a final decision on the renaming of Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School during its meeting Tuesday, with only two names remaining as options.

On June 9, the Board narrowed down the list of potential names for the school to Helen Chavez Elementary and Sí, Se Puede Elementary in a 3-2 vote. Trustees Mike Eggert and Laura Guerrero-Salgado voted no.

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Some trustees like Brooke Malley Ault and Chris Cruz Boone recommended honoring Helen Chavez, a labor activist and wife of Cesar Chavez. They pointed out only four schools in the district are named after women and the name would allow BCSD to honor a Hispanic woman who has connection with the farmworker movement.

Area 2 Trustee Anthony Fuentes suggested naming the school “Sí, Se Puede Elementary” to focus on the farmworker community that exists today, not just in history.

Eggert also supported the name, saying it holds a broader message rather than focusing on an individual.

The Board approved the renaming process after a New York Times investigation raised sexual abuse allegations against the late labor leader Cesar Chavez. He was accused of grooming and abusing several girls and women, including United Farm Workers Union co-founder Dolores Huerta.

Prior to the meeting, the Cesar Chavez Renaming Committee recommended names to the Board, selected among the 866 survey responses the committee received from the community.

The names included Mesa Marin Elementary, Citrus Grove Elementary, Horizon View Elementary, Sunrise Valley Elementary, Valle del Sol Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, Harvest Valley Elementary and Katherine Johnson Elementary.

The committee’s role was advisory and the Board has the final say in what the school’s final name will be, Mills said.

“Board members expressed the importance of preserving local history, honoring the farmworker movement, reflecting the district’s diverse student population and continuing to hear community feedback before a final decision is made,” Mills said in an email to 17 News.

Members of the community can publicly comment on the two potential names during the regular Board meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. June 23 at 1300 Baker St., according to district officials.

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