PORT TOWNSEND — Two weeks after voting to retire the Redskins team name at Port Townsend High School, the School Board will begin to discuss the process of selecting a new mascot.
In the meantime, those who favor retaining the name haven’t given up.
The School Board meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday at the Gael Stuart Building, 1610 Blaine St.
Board member Anne Burkart said the specifics of the plan for selecting a new mascot have not been discussed but will emerge during meetings over the summer.
“I expect the board, the superintendent and the high school administration will come up with some kind of process in meetings over the summer, but I don’t think we will take any action until after school starts in the fall,” Burkart said.
At a June 24 meeting attended by about 275 people, the School Board unanimously decided, following a motion from Burkart, that “in the next 12 months, the School Board retire this name with honor and dignity, and a student- and community-based process to replace it be conducted.”
The decision is controversial. Many are calling for the continuation of the tradition of the mascot that has been in place for 88 years. Others say that it is offensive.
The board’s decision was made after an eight-member community committee studied the issue for a year.
The committee found that many people inside and outside the community felt the name was racist and perpetuated stereotypes.
Those who want to keep the mascot are gathering signatures on petitions, planning strategy and investigating legal avenues, one of the leaders of the group said.
“Redskins is a name that I grew up with and it gave me a sense of pride and bravery and other positive things,” said Rebekah Logue, a 2007 Port Townsend High School graduate.
“We will be there on Monday to ask focused questions about how they expect to do this, how much it will cost and who will pay for this.”
School officials have not determined a cost for the change and the process is yet to be determined.
Petitions are available at Jackpot, the Hilltop Tavern, The Highway 20 Road House, Auto Works and Pennysaver, all in Port Townsend, with signatures also being gathered at other locations around town.
Logue said that about 280 people had signed the petition as of Saturday morning.
Jason Greenspane, a 1992 Port Townsend High School graduate and a detective on the Port Townsend police force, is selling red T-shirts with the words “Once a Redskin, Always a Redskin” from his Facebook page with all proceeds are to go to the Port Townsend High School football team.
As of Saturday he had received orders for 200 of the shirts which will be delivered on July 10, he said.
At the June 24 meeting several mascot supporters expressed the desire to vote out the board and replace it with one that was more sympathetic to its cause.
Two board positions are on November’s ballot. Chairwoman Jennifer James-Wilson is opposed by former School Board member Rita Beebe, who spoke in favor of retaining the name while board member Holley Carlson is unopposed.
Logue said that her group plans to sponsor an as-yet-undecided write-in candidate to unseat Carlson.
Belynda Mathews Hirschel, a 1979 Port Townsend High School graduate who started the petition, said she is looking into the possibility of placing a measure on the Nov. 5 general election ballot to determine the community’s preference, although she does not know whether such a measure would have legal standing,
According to the state Secretary of State, referendum petitions must be submitted by July 27 in order to appear on the November ballot.
Supporters of retaining the name have consistently asked for a community vote on the matter, an idea that Burkart opposes.
“One of the things about our form of government is that when it comes to combating prejudice or discrimination, the will of the majority does not overrule the rights of minorities,” Burkart said.
“If we had put the idea of desegregation of schools up for a vote in the 1960s it never would have happened.”
An addendum motion that the School Board passed on June 24 said that “students of the Port Townsend School District “deserve and need to have a fuller understanding and appreciation of our rich Native American history and culture [so the school should] implement an educational program on our Native American history and culture to be incorporated into our regular school curriculum for the 2014-15 school year.”
Burkart said that a template for such a program is available from the office of the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, but was uncertain how it would be used in the Port Townsend pubic schools.
“We don’t know at what grade level it will be introduced or whether it will be implemented in all history and social science programs,” Burkart said.
The curriculum, which is viewable at http://tinyurl.com/nativecurriculum, is about tribal geography, culture, economic stature and legal status, among other topics.
Burkart said that a cost for changing the mascot has not been determined.
The single most expensive item is the resurfacing of the gym floor, which features a large tribal Indian head complete with headdress.
“It’s probably about time to resurface the gym so that is not an unexpected expense,” she said.
“There are some uniform costs, but only two teams use Redskins on their jerseys so the cost will not be that great.”
Redskins also is displayed on cheerleaders’ uniforms but those are bought by the individuals, according to a Redskin Uniform Study published in June.
Burkart said the controversy surrounding the Port Townsend Redskins differs from that around the Washington Redskins, a professional sports team.
“We are supported by taxpayers, and strive to make students in the district and guests feel comfortable,” she said.
“If they are uncomfortable with the use of a particular term, it needs to be changed.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
