Changes are coming to Bend Technical Academy at Marshall High School, after the Bend-La Pine School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to change the school name.

Teachers, students and parents all want the school to be called Bend Technical Academy, pending final approval from the Oregon Department of Education. Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steve Cook said that will likely happen in a few months.

The board also approved dropping the school’s Oregon Department of Education designation as an alternative school, which has a negative connotation in the community since it is the school perceived to be for at-risk students.

When it opened, the school was known as Marshall High School. Through the years, it became the district’s alternative school. Over the past several years, it adopted the longer name and reinvented itself as a career and technical education magnet school, with a lottery system to enroll.

Parents and students urged to the board to approve the name change, to remove its status as an alternative school and to remind middle and high school counselors of what Bend Tech Academy actually teaches.

The move to change the name started in March.

“I’ve attended Bend Tech for two years now, and love all the help you can receive for career planning and career tracks you can choose from and the relationships you get to have with all the teachers,” said Adam Kruse, an incoming junior. Kruse described the real-world marketing experience he received in the last year.

“When you look at my transcripts or tests, like for the ACT, it still says Marshall High School on it. If this isn’t changed, I will have to consider changing schools to get rid of the alternative designation in Marshall High School on my transcripts in applying for college,” he said.

His mother, Jennifer Kruse, who is a member of a PTA group tasked with improving the school’s programs and professional development among the staff, also asked the board to approve the name change.

“The students are engaged and challenged academically. So why aren’t we having a waiting list for enrollment?” she said. “The biggest reason is the perceived stigma throughout the Bend-La Pine School District and the city of Bend is a stumbling block for (Bend Tech Academy). Throughout Bend, I’ve had conversations with so many people that this was the ‘burnout last-ditch effort at education’ school.”

The PTA group surveyed students, staff, and families to see how they felt Bend Tech Academy was perceived, said Sharon Miller, also a member of the group, who spoke at the meeting. None of the students believed the school was well thought of, while 90% thought it was negatively considered in the Bend community.

Cook said it was unlikely the name change would be approved in time for the incoming seniors’ college applications.