MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board has decided to name the district’s next high school after former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

In a 3-2 vote, board members endorsed the proposal by Elliott Goodrich to name the new high school — currently referred with the placeholder name “The Real World Academy” — in honor of the country’s 40th president, who served two terms beginning in January 1981.

Goodrich said Reagan took office at a time when the country was mired in high inflation, a hostage crisis in Iran and an “existential” conflict with the Soviet Union and helped Americans see “the greatness inherent in America” and find “the best in themselves.”

“This is very fitting for our community,” he said.

Board member Shannon Hintz and Board President Vickey Melcher voted against the measure, with Hintz noting while Reagan was a “great president,” the name doesn’t reflect the Moses Lake community, its history and its heritage.

“I’m not for it,” Hintz said.

Even board member Bryce McPartland, who voted in favor of the proposal, said he was interested in some other possibilities for a school name.

“I’d like to hear some alternatives,” he said.

Superintendent Josh Meek said there is a committee that has been looking at naming alternatives, and soliciting suggestions from district residents, but “nothing conclusive” has emerged from the process.

Construction on the new $58 million, 700-900 student school is slated to begin next month, with the first students expected to start classes in the fall of 2022.

In addition, Meek and Hintz said they also met last week with members of the tribal council of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespelem to discuss the district’s use of Native American mascots.

The visit was in response to the passage of legislation that would outlaw the use by public schools of “Native American names, symbols, or images as school mascots, logos, or team names” by Jan. 1, 2022. The measure, known as House Bill 1356, is sitting on Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk awaiting his signature.

However, school districts in counties containing Native American land under tribal jurisdiction may authorize a school district to continuing using those symbols, names or mascots after a consultation — a process Meek said the MLSD has started.

“We want to base our work with the Colville tribes out of respect,” the superintendent told school board members. “We don’t want to just react. The terms we use are people.”

Meek described the talks with tribal council members Rodney Cawston, Karen Condon, Norma Sanchez and Chief Moses descendant Andrew Joseph, Jr., as “very positive” and noted the MLSD is the first school district to have approached the Colville tribes to talk about school names and mascots, and about ways the district and the confederated tribes can cooperate on future education projects.

“It was very solution-oriented, and we talked about how to build a partnership,” Meek said. “It was time well spent.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.