Board debates logo finalists, staff to run follow‑up poll with clarified question

Communications staff updated the Molalla River School District board on a logo refresh process at the July 11 meeting and sought direction on next steps after community polling.

The district narrowed more than 300 design submissions to four finalists and posted them for community input. Staff reported about 301 poll responses and noted differences between the community’s favorite and staff’s favorite designs; staff recommended proceeding but acknowledged refinement may be needed. "We submitted a brief. We got entries. By the time they did the revisions, we were upwards of over 300," the presenter said, describing the selection process.

Board members raised concerns about timing: Speaker 4 noted the poll launched near the July 3 holiday weekend and suggested allowing more time for public input. Speaker 9 recommended reframing the poll question to ask which option best “identifies who we are and what we do,” rather than simply asking which design people like. Staff agreed to create a short, forced‑choice survey that asks that clarified question and to send a "last chance" notice with guidance on what to look for when selecting a logo.

The board asked staff to return results at the next work session; staff said they can produce a follow‑up poll and provide two sets of data (the original platform results and the clarified, forced‑choice results).

What happens next: communications staff will run a short follow‑up poll with clearer guidance, resend links in a newsletter and present consolidated results to the board for a decision.