John H. Reagan circa 1860 (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

John H. Reagan circa 1860 (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

The Austin school board voted 7-2 Monday night to rename five schools named for Confederate figures, including John H. Reagan High School.

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When Dallas ISD voted unanimously last fall to remove the names of Confederate generals from four schools, they left John H. Reagan Elementary School as-is.

They voted to change the names of William L. Cabell, Stonewall Jackson, Albert Sidney Johnston and Robert E. Lee schools.

Reagan Elementary, in the Bishop Arts area, is a high-performing school where the majority of students are low-income people of color.

John H. Reagan served the Confederate government as postmaster, and he was captured at the end of the war with Robert E. Lee. He subsequently had a long career in Texas politics and was a beloved figure at the time of his death in 1905, when the Oak Cliff school was named.