BISD looks to cash in on stadium name

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  • The name of the stadium, formerly named after former Superintendent Carrol A. Thomas, has conjured controversy in Jefferson County for years. Now, BISD is looking to cash in on a new name.
    The name of the stadium, formerly named after former Superintendent Carrol A. Thomas, has conjured controversy in Jefferson County for years. Now, BISD is looking to cash in on a new name.
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Beaumont Independent School District (BISD) trustees heard proposed plans to potentially sell the naming rights to Memorial Stadium and other facilities in a special meeting held March 7, while voting to remove the name of a former superintendent from the career center.

The board will reconvene to vote on the matter at its March 24 regular meeting, according to officials. As the board’s only action item of the night, trustees voted to remove the name of a former superintendent from the Taylor Career and Technology Center; Mike “O.C.” Taylor was South Park ISD superintendent when the district merged with BISD as the city also began integration.

Before essentially opening up another facility’s naming rights to purchase, trustees heard three packages from BISD CFO Cheryl Hernandez, showing plans employed by other school districts in the state like New Caney ISD and Conroe ISD for selling naming rights to their stadia. The first package included offering the purchaser rights to two sides of the stadium press box, as well as the illuminated sign near the entrance of the grounds. A second package included selling naming rights to the actual field and fieldhouses. The third included selling rights to four entry gates and the natatorium. Considering the outdated scoreboard at the stadium, trustees mulled selling naming rights to it and making the purchasing party responsible for replacing it completely.

Hernandez assured trustees that, “It would be their responsibility to change everything. Any costs associated with the changing of the name is going to be the responsibility of the offerer. So, any proposer, it would be their cost to change any names – the district will not share in that cost in any way.”

One purchasing plan trustees are considering ahead of the next regular meeting includes a 10-year deal worth $1.4 million for naming rights to BISD’s multisport stadium, another included a minimum of $800,000 for seven years and a five-year deal minimum of $500,000.

According to the initial proposal offered by BISD staff, potential revenue to the district will account for 60% of a bid evaluation, while the reputation of the vendor and of their goods or services will make up 20% of the equation. The remaining evaluating factors include the quality of the vendor’s services (15%) and whether the purchaser is a “minority, woman-owned or historically underutilized” business (5%).

Hernandez told trustees the facilities subcommittee will include their suggestions as they prepare their final presentation to be voted on at the next meeting later this month.

However, trustees will have to amend the district’s naming rights policy before they can move forward with any proposal. The current policy states that district buildings must be given names from specific categories, including distinguished national or international figures, whose lives and achievements provide a positive symbolic significance for students attending a particular school; living or dead educators, whose lives and achievements on behalf of the public schools of the district will serve as positive role models for the students attending a particular school; or geographical locations within the district.

That means prospective businesses may be barred from using their company name in any potential purchasing agreement – under current district code, at least.

BISD trustees’ next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24.