1. The board of education of any seven-director district may change the name of the district by unanimous consent of the members of the board, the name to comply with any applicable regulations of the state board of education, after first giving notice of the change by publication in some newspaper published in the county in which the district is located. The notice shall be published once a week for at least three consecutive weeks. The first publication shall be made not less than three weeks prior to the date upon which the board proposes to make the change of name, and the last publication shall be made not more than seven days prior to that date. However, if a petition signed by twenty voters residing within the district is filed with the board on or before the date specified in the notice protesting against the change of name then the proposed change of name shall be presented as a question at the next municipal election. If the question is assented to by a majority of the voters of the district voting on the question, the board of education shall declare the change of name to be in effect.

2. The changing of the name of the school district under this section shall in no way change its classification or have any effect upon its contracts, indebtedness, existence, or other rights and liabilities.