'Eskomos' mascot comes under fire again

The Esko school board is once again being asked to consider changing the school mascot's "Eskomos" nickname.

The call for change from some community members comes as the Minnesota State Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit the use of American Indian mascots and logos for all schools in the state.

As the bill is currently written, school districts may not "have or adopt a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead, or team name of the district or school within the district."

Parents and alumni of the Esko school district spoke during the open forum portion of the board's meeting on April 10, to ask the board to continue considering a change in the school's mascot and offered suggestions to the board to help keep the public informed during the process.

Esko parent Rachel Gilbertson, who brought this issue before the board at its March meeting as well, told the board: "Even though the mascot evolved over time and wasn't created with ill intents, we now know it's harmful."

According to the Alaska Native Language Center (uaf.edu), although the name "Eskimo" was commonly used in Alaska to refer to Inuit and Yupik people of the world, this usage is now considered unacceptable by many or even most Alaska Natives, largely since it is a colonial name imposed by non-Indigenous people. Esko spells the name differently, incorporating its own place name but adopting the cultural elements of the word.

Gilbertson, along with two other parents who spoke in front of the board during Monday's meeting, asked the board to consider the effects that using the pejorative term as the school's mascot has on children and families in the district.

Gilbertson suggested that the district does not need to lose its "northern identity" in a mascot change, but needs to be a welcoming space for all cultures.

All speakers asked the board to develop a plan to work with the community toward a solution and to keep the public informed of any action they plan to take regarding the mascot. The board does not generally respond to open comments during meetings, and did not comment on the parents' requests.

However, prior to the open forum comments, board chairman Jerry Frederick talked about the topic during his report to the board.

A change to the school's mascot would not come without a price, according to Frederick. "We've talked a lot about finance with this, it isn't something that's free as far as the district is concerned. There are going to be a lot of things that have to go into it," he said.

The school would need to change its signage, areas of flooring in the school that include the term, the football field turf, and numerous other things in and around the school.

According to Esko parent Vannessa Carol, school districts who have had to change their mascots in other states have spent, on average, $100,000.

This is not the first time that the Esko community has called for a change in the school's mascot. Students and community members petitioned for a change in the mascot in 2020, with one Change.org petition gathering thousands of signatures.

Since that petition, the Esko school district has distanced itself from the term "Eskomo," choosing to instead use "Esko" or an "E" on branding for the school. The school has faded out the use of the Inuit figure that was once depicted in school logos, instead opting to use an igloo without the figure.

As teams across the nation are shedding nicknames with ties to American Indian tribes, parents told the board they hope Esko will choose to change its mascot to something without racist connotations, without being forced to by the state.

If the state legislature passes the bill as it is currently written, the school district would have to be in compliance with its terms by mid-2024.

Fitness Center bid higher than expected

In other business, the board approved a $2.1 million general construction bid package for the district's new fitness center. Along with the general construction bid package, the board approved other fees, such as permits, design fees and contingencies, bringing the grand total for the project to $2,642,008.

Despite this being $533,000 more than the $2,125,000 the district will receive from the lease levy they originally hoped would cover the cost of the center, the board felt confident in proceeding with the project and making up the difference with other fund balances.

"Thanks to the good work done by previous boards, and your board, in accumulating some fund balances in some of those auxiliary funds, you do have the amount of money to do this," superintendent Aaron Fisher told the board.

Fisher explained that this project will stretch some budgets a little thin, but that they are not reaching into the district's general operating funds, so it will carry very little financial risk for the district.

"This is just stressing your capital budgets and leaving your operating budget alone. You are not putting the district's fiscal day-to-day operations in limbo," Fisher said.

The district plans to cut costs where it can and hopes to receive financial support from local booster clubs and potentially a third-party partnership with an area hospital that will provide physical therapy at the center.

The district had 15 contractors bid on various aspects of the project, including seven bids for general construction. According to the board, the district chose to go with the lowest bidder. Fisher reported to the board that the district was happy with the quality of the contractors who bid on the project and that, due to inflation, they would not expect the price to go down if they re-bid the project in a few months.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.