Jefferson Parish School Board members voted Tuesday to reject the name chosen by community members for the district’s newest combined school, which is set to open in Westwego next fall, saying it failed to properly honor the former schools’ namesakes.
The name was one of three proposed by a naming committee the board formed after it elected to close Isaac G. Joseph Elementary in December, moving roughly 400 students to Stella Worley Middle School a half-mile away. Worley will reopen as a pre-K-8 school in the fall.
Parents and other stakeholders in the area were surveyed this month about three potential names for the combined school: Worley-Joseph School; Isaac G. Joseph-Stella Worley School and Joseph-Worley School, which was the most popular choice, garnering more than 40% of the votes from nearly 2,000 respondents. The winning name and the survey results were presented to board members and the superintendent during a facilities subcommittee meeting Tuesday…