Fort Worth ISD renames Cesar Chavez Elementary to Esperanza Elementary School
Fort Worth ISD voted unanimously, nine to zero, to rename a school in order to distance itself from Cesar Chavez, the civil rights and labor activist, amid nationwide efforts to remove the holiday named after him and his name from buildings.
The board of managers, during Tuesday’s school board meeting, suspended a board policy to rename Cesar Chavez Elementary School, located in the Diamond Hill neighborhood, to Esperanza Elementary School. Members of the Board of Managers questioned whether the vote should be suspended for the next school board meeting.
Secretary Rosa Maria Berdeja questioned if the new name violated local board policy since Esperanza is a fictional character name. The board policy CW (Local) states the schools must be named after “recognized pioneers of Fort Worth, the state of Texas, or the United States, persons who have obtained prominence locally, state, statewide, or nationally based on contributions to the public,” Berdeja read.
Luis A. Galindo, a Texas Education Agency appointment for the Board of Managers, disagreed.
“The word Esperanza means ‘Hope,’ we’re naming an elementary school ‘Hope,’ that’s not a fictional character,” Galindo said.
Board of Managers President Pete Geren read the recommendation of the Cesar Chavez Elementary School’s principal, Monica Ordaz, which said: “Our Site-Based Decision-Making (SBDM) committee met in accordance with the outlined process and reviewed the results of the school and community survey. We are making a formal recommendation to rename our school: Esperanza Elementary. Please accept this as our final recommendation.”
Galindo reiterated Esperanza is not a fictional character, but an expression of hope, and is appropriate for the current time and the work the Board of Managers is doing in the school district.
“This board, to our committee, made a representation to that community that they would select the name,” Galindo said. “I think that has to be honored.”
Galindo then made a motion to amend the resolution to suspend the board policy for the renaming of Cesar Chavez Elementary School and support the recommendation of the new name. The motion to amend the agenda item was then passed unanimously, a vote of nine to zero.
It was then voted as the main item which was voted yes, unanimously, nine to zero.
The renaming came after a New York Times investigation in March revealed that Chavez, who died in 1993, groomed and assaulted girls for years who were connected to the movement that led to better pay and conditions for farmworkers.
As a result, they amended board policies regarding naming and renaming district facilities in last month’s school board meeting. It gives the district’s administration greater flexibility to solicit and collect proposed names from the local community for presentation to the Board, which will have the final decision on the naming or renaming of a school or facility.
The district conducted a survey between April 6 to April 26 of 516 individuals, including parents, students, alumni, staff members, and community members. Participants submitted 108 thoughts and provided 6,398 ratings.
A campus meeting was hosted April 20 to review survey results and gather additional feedback through community, staff, and family participation, breakout sessions and student suggestions.
A list was compiled of the top 10 names, then the top three and then a final review and recommendation to the board on May 14-15.
The school board last month also rescinded the resolution recognizing the Monday before Chavez’s March 31 birthday as a school holiday.
As a result of the Cesar Chavez allegations, the Texas Education Agency directed all school systems to “cancel or otherwise redirect events and activities tied to Chavez” and “eliminate, modify and otherwise alter any learning activities, individual lessons, and ancillary material” that reference Chavez.
The city of Fort Worth voted unanimously in March to remove honorary street designations of Chavez along 28th Street, which were added by the city in 2020. Chavez’s name appeared between North Main and Beach Street. On March 19, street toppers were removed from the street.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare said in a statement that he aims to replace Cesar Chavez Day with Veterans Day in the 2027 calendar.
The Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta Committee of Tarrant County, which formed in 2016, declared it will go by ¡Sí Se Puede! Committee of Tarrant County. Sí Se Puede is the iconic motto of the United Farm Workers of America, which was founded by both Chavez and Huerta. The new name will be temporary until the organization permanently rebrands itself.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 10:51 PM.
