Dayton School board discussed bulldog logo, Dayton-Prescott combine

DAYTON - The Dayton School Board met at the high school's library at 6:30 p.m. on March 18, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board members Pat Davidson, Aneesha Dieu, and Ryan Paulson were present in the school library. Grant Griffin was not present.

The consent agenda included approval of a $500 donation from Casey Colley and Jose Carlos Mendez for the fourth and fifth-grade ski program. The consent agenda was passed without debate.

The ASB Treasurer, Jordan McCowen, presented the ASB report to the board. He recounted recent and upcoming ASB activities, including a bowling day in the Tri-Cities on April 1, 2026, and the Touchet River Run on May 25, 2026. There will also be games and activities at the Elementary Field Day in May or June.

Colton Steinhoff, a member of the 2026 graduating class, asked the board for approval of this year's Senior Class Trip. The proposed June 2 trip is a speedboat trip for 16 participants, with boats provided by Hells Canyon Sport Fishing. The funds for the trip, which will cost $5,600, will be raised by the Senior Class and will come from school funds. The board approved the trip.

Athletic Director Sam Korslund said that the basketball tournament was successful and will probably be held in Dayton next year.

Korslund said terms for the MS Dayton-Prescott Combine have been drafted as a one-year commitment. In the agreement, Prescott athletes must arrange transportation with their parents, as neither the Prescott nor the Dayton schools will provide transportation to practices. Prescott students must agree to abide by the Dayton School District Code of Conduct.

Principal Amy Cox gave her report, which this week focused on the Social Studies curriculum and teaching methods for the elementary, middle, and high schools. Wheatley said the purpose of these reports is to give the board a sense of what teachers do in the classroom.

Wheatley said the master schedule for the 2026/27 school year had been finalized and is largely identical to this year's calendar. Much of Wheatley's report focused on the logo options for the gym floor, scheduled for replacement this summer. He said he shared the logo designs with about 80 stakeholders for comments. Of those surveyed, he found alumni preferred the original logo, while students preferred the updated version.  Overall, 58 percent of those surveyed preferred the new logo.

A heated discussion followed among the board members, with Dieu insisting that the logo not be updated. Paulson asked Wheatley which design he preferred. He answered that his initial preference had been for the original logo until he saw the mock-ups of how they would look on the new gym floor. He said he liked how the new design lies on the gym floor, and it is now the one he recommends.

The board voted on the agenda's action items, approving each unanimously. Approved were the MS sports combine agreement with Prescott, the 2027 and 2028 calendars, the senior class trip, and the renewal of Superintendent Wheatley's contract.

The meeting adjourned at 7:52 p.m.

The Dayton School District has chosen a color scheme and will decide on a logo for the gym floor which will be replaced this summer. The school surveyed about 80 stakeholders and the overall preference was in favor of the new logo. The consensus was that neither design was a deal breaker and there is great excitement for the project.

When mocking up the two options, the primary concern was to bring consistency to the school's athletic program color scheme. The gym floor colors were selected to match the bleachers and will be used for future applications including uniforms.