It’s just a small name change, but it’s indicative of bigger changes already in motion. With the district set to open under a new building configuration when students head back to school this fall, the Board of Education (BOE) recently voted to alter the name of the Dr. Robert H. Brown Middle School.

Brown, which was built back in 1970 and had previously held grades 5 and 6, will open in the fall as the new home for grades 4 and 5. The school will now serve as an intermediate school and Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice said it was important the school’s name be reflective of that new role.

“Brown is still called Brown Middle School and it is not a middle school anymore,” he said. “I have proposed just a simple change that still honors Dr. Robert H. Brown and so we would change it from middle to intermediate school.”

Dr. Robert H. Brown was the superintendent of Madison Public Schools from 1942 until his retirement in 1969, according to Madison Historical Society records. Brown has a student capacity of roughly 650 students and went through a series of major electrical upgrades in 2018.

The move to shift the school from a middle school to intermediate school is part of the district’s consolidation from six schools to five schools. The BOE recently closed Island Avenue Elementary School in June and when school opens in September, the two remaining elementary schools will hold grades K-3, Brown Intermediate School will hold grades 4 and 5, and Polson Middle School will hold grades 6 to 8. Daniel Hand High School remains a high school with grades 9 to 12.

The BOE unanimously approved the name change.