Is April 8 the final call for Redskins?

The beginning of the end for Colusa High School’s “Redskins” athletic mascot could arrive next month.

Board members of the Colusa Unified School District announced Wednesday night an April 8 public hearing and vote on retiring the “Redskins” name, which the high school’s teams have sported for decades.

The meeting would mark the school district’s nearest move to setting aside a symbol supported by generations of students and alumni but also attacked in the last decade by critics calling the name racially insensitive to Native Americans nationally and in Colusa County.

“We need some kind of a forum before we vote,” said Don Bransford, one of the five board members. “It’s sensitive to a lot of people in a lot of ways, and it’s only fair to let the people express their views.”

The school board also approved a process to take suggestions from students and residents on a new mascot, should the district drop the Redskins moniker.

High schoolers, faculty and residents would help create a list of nine candidates, which a 22-member committee would whittle to three finalists. Residents and secondary school students would choose among the three options, and the school board would have to approve the winning name.

Board members added they would set up a system — possibly through e-mail — for Colusa High alumni to give their opinions to the school district before the April 8 vote and during any campaign to choose a new athletic name.

Introducing a new sports symbol at Colusa High could take up to two years, according to Superintendent Larry Yeghoian.

Despite the upcoming vote on changing the Redskins mascot, a Native American at the board meeting was skeptical that trustees could defy the will of alumni and residents defending a school tradition.

District officials estimate a mascot change will cost $60,000 to pay for replacement signs, souvenirs and uniforms.