BEAUMONT, Texas — A long-standing discussion between Southeast Texans is making its way back to the Beaumont ISD board agenda.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from a January 21, 2021 newscast.)
The last item for the meeting scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m. is the consideration and possible action regarding renaming the district's Memorial Stadium.
In January 2021, the motion to rename Memorial Stadium failed by a 5-2 vote.
In 2021, the board met to decide whether to change Memorial Stadium back to its original name, the Carrol 'Butch' Thomas Educational Support Center, honoring the former superintendent.
This isn't the first time a name change has come up. The school board has been divided all the way back to 2018. In 2018, the board of managers voted to change the name of the stadium from the Carroll 'Butch' Thomas to Memorial Stadium.
Superintendent Carrol Thomas' administration was accused of mismanaging a $389 million bond back in 2007, which funded the stadium.
That eventually led to the state taking control of the district's operations. That's why some supported the name change two years ago. In 2018, members of the board told 12News they felt it would "heal division" in the community.
Now almost four years later, the renaming becomes a possibility once more. Is Carrol 'Butch' Thomas on the table as a possible naming choice? It's a question many board members were unable to answer.
BISD Board President Robert C. Dunn, Sr. tells 12News he did not put that item on the agenda, and wouldn't have specifics until the meeting.
Joe Evens, a BISD board member, says two members requested the item. He didn't indicate why, or if the new name involved Carrol 'Butch' Thomas or not.
Board member Kevin Reece is one of the two people who requested this item be placed. The other person is unknown at this time. He confirms to 12News that a name change is on the agenda, but no one has suggested to what yet.