South Butler halfway to becoming Knoch School District
The effort to change the name of the South Butler County School District to Knoch School District enjoyed a major win on Tuesday.
A bill introduced by State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, to allow local school districts to change their names unanimously passed in the state House of Representatives.
Mustello announced the bill’s House passage Tuesday.
House Bill 232 would amend state school code to allow districts to change their names after a two-thirds majority vote by the school board and approval from the state Department of Education.
No provision currently exists in school code regarding the procedure to change a school district’s name.
The South Butler school board voted 8-1 on Dec. 11, 2019, to change its name to Knoch School District.
Board member Debra Miller voted against the move, citing concerns about the resulting cost to the district.
The bill now moves to the State Senate for consideration.
Board member William Gebhart said those in outlying areas already refer to the district as “Knoch,” mainly because its athletic teams are the Knoch Knights and the two secondary schools are Knoch Middle School and Knoch High School.
“I went to Mars, and we never said ‘We’re going to South Butler County to play football,’” Gebhart said. “We said, ‘We’re going to Knoch.’”
He said if the bill passes in the Senate, there will no longer be any confusion on the district’s identity.
“I’m just glad it went through at this time,” Gebhart said.
Donna Eakin, school board president, agreed.
“We’ve been waiting to change our name now for almost two years, and I’m just happy that things are progressing,” she said. “I believe that people already recognize us as the Knoch School District, so it would just be changing the name to its current identity.”
