The Building and Maintenance Subcommittee of the Springfield School Committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the gymnasium at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy be named the Budd L. Williams Topcat Gymnasium and forwarded that recommendation to the full school committee.

Superintendent Dr. Denau told the subcommittee the recognition would honor Williams’s advocacy for Springfield students and his role in seeking funding and supports on their behalf. Subcommittee members expressed support for the naming but also raised procedural questions about precedent and community input.

Members discussed a longstanding practice — described by staff as a committee-level precedent rather than a written rule — of surveying school communities when naming schools, and whether that practice should be applied to subsidiary spaces such as gyms. Attorney Keith Murphy said the district’s formal naming policy, adopted in 1978, covers the naming of schools and requires a committee vote and approval from the honoree, but he said it does not explicitly require surveys for gymnasiums or other subsets of a school.

Several members, including Chair Mr. Gonzales and Member Miss Hurst, said they supported the honor but also suggested the district consider codifying a consistent process for future namings so school communities have an opportunity to weigh in. Mr. Roach (district finance/operations) said the survey practice had been applied informally in prior namings and that staff implemented the current recommendation consistent with that practice.

A motion to recommend the naming was made by Miss Hurst and seconded by Attorney Keith Murphy. The clerk called the roll; Mr. Gonzales, Miss Hurst and Attorney Murphy voted yes and the motion passed. The subcommittee agreed staff would coordinate ceremony logistics once the full school committee acts on the recommendation.

The discussion referenced prior local namings, including a plaque known as Judge Boyle Way and a recent court-level naming for Travis Best, and members said they do not intend to revisit past decisions. Several members said they want the district to draft clearer procedures going forward and suggested the Legislative and Contracts subcommittee could consider a formal policy.

The recommendation now goes to the full Springfield School Committee for final action. If approved, staff said they will notify members about the timeline for a dedication ceremony and take care of logistical arrangements.