Abington Senior High School will not change its name after backlash

Abington Senior High School will remain just that. The announcement came from Tuesday's school board meeting after backlash when the board made the call to change the school's name in honor of an alumni who donated 25 million dollars.

"Under the new pledge agreement there will not be a name change to the school. The school will remain," Raymond McGarry, president of the Abington Board of School Directors, said.

Just what Abington parents wanted to hear from the Abington School Board of Directors...after taking heat for striking a deal to rename the Senior High School after a billionaire alumnus in exchange for his $25 million dollar donation for major upgrades. Many parents and alumni say it was done with little input from the public.

"Been very upset. Very disappointing how it all went down," Alum of Abington Senior High School Tina Thompson said.

"We were left in the dark about the whole situation," parent and alum Jennie Lee said.

Wall Street tycoon Stephen Schwarzman graduated from the high school in the 60s and pledged $25 million for a building facelift.

"I know a gift is a gift--gracious for a gift--but it was just a shady way," Lee said.

Once the community got wind of the name change deal they launched a Change.org petition to keep the name the same.

On Tuesday night, the board acknowledged the mistake.

"The disappointment I personally feel in how this was handled by me as board president is even greater than the disappointment I expect to hear from my friends and neighbors tonight," McGarry said.

Officials unveiled a new plan that names a Center for Science and Technology after Schwarzman, but also guarantees the big time donor will not have control of school curriculum another fear parents had.

It's a public school not a private school," Lee said.

The public can weigh in on the deal before the board votes on it next week.