The Midland ISD board recently voted to change the names of Legacy High School and Legacy Freshman to Lee, a decision that consumed weeks of public attention. Meanwhile, the issue that truly deserves this level of focus is the ongoing crisis inside the classrooms.

At Legacy Freshman, a D campus for the last two years (a C the year before), only 17% of students met STAAR grade-level standards in Algebra I, compared to 47% statewide. In English I, 42% met these same standards, compared to 51% statewide.

At Legacy High, a C campus for the last two years (a D the year before), the picture was even more concerning. Only 1% met the grade-level standards in Algebra I. In English I, only 4% met these same standards. In algebra alone, that means 99% of Legacy High students tested did not demonstrate the proficiency the state requires.

Yet the board devoted more than three hours of meeting time to renaming the schools. No student will read, write, or solve math problems any better because of that decision. President Hodges even suggested the debate didn’t detract from academic improvement because it happened in the summer, as if a student’s trajectory of success can only improve when they are physically in a classroom.

Midland’s children deserve more than symbolic gestures. They deserve leaders who put academics first and direct every ounce of attention toward raising performance. The real test of leadership is staying focused on what truly matters, whether Midland’s students are prepared for college, career, or the military upon graduation, not on what the sign outside a school building says.

In the months ahead, let’s not get distracted again from student outcomes; let’s keep the main thing the main thing.