The Denton Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to re-name Wilson Elementary for Nette Shultz, the original donor of the property on which the campus currently resides and is undergoing re-construction.

Currently, a new elementary and replacement school for Wilson Elementary is under construction on the back of the school’s current site, following the approval by voters in 2018 to replace the aging facility. The name change will go into effect when the campus opens.

“We believe that it is appropriate to honor a woman who had the foresight to make such generous donations to this community – changing the trajectory for many neighborhood children, past and present,” said Dr. Jamie Wilson, superintendent of schools. “This two-story, collaborative facility will stand as a legacy far beyond what Mrs. Shultz probably could have imagined but will stand as a testament to her kindness for many generations, even far beyond many of us.”

On June 8, 1956, Mrs. Nette Shultz donated land to the district and designated that it be used for an elementary campus. Her life was dedicated to teaching and the service of others.

Ms. Shultz was a county agriculture home extension agent working in Cooke County. In 1935, she purchased 191 acres located 2.5 miles northeast of the heart of Denton. The property she donated to the school was in the middle of that large farm on the then edge of town. In addition to the school site, the City of Denton received the donation of a piece of property and subsequently named the neighborhood’s park after Ms. Shultz in appreciation.

Later Ms. Schultz, an educator, taught at Texas State College for Women (presently TWU) from 1944 to 1952. Mrs. Shultz had a reputation for being “a very humble person who did not want a big ‘hoopla’ over the donation but was committed to providing an exceptional public education for the children in Denton.”

Pfluger Architects designed the building, please click here to view plans and community context.