Killingly just lost $94K in revenue over the town's school mascot. Why, and what it means.

A state review has found the town of Killingly is ineligible to receive nearly $100,000 in tribal grant money this year because of a Native American-themed mascot re-introduced by the Board of Education.

The decision by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, or OPM, on Thursday came after a review of public schools and athletic teams concerning their use of Native American “tribes, individuals, customs, or traditions as mascots, nicknames, logos, and team names” as specified in a June 2021 state implementer bill.

OPM determined three school team names – the Killingly High School Redmen and Red Gals, the Canton High School Warriors and the Windsor High School Warriors - were not in compliance with the new law and will not receive grant funding provided by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund.

Of the three schools, only Killingly was set to actually receive any grant money from the fund. Town Manager Mary Calorio said the town was slated to receive $94,184 in now-lost grant money, about the same amount it collected in past years and expected to get in future annual installments.

“That money goes to the town’s general fund and is used for various town and Board of Education expenditures,” she said. “It is not specifically earmarked.”

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OPM officials said Killingly previously self-certified that it intended to retain its Redmen and Red Gals monikers despite not getting permission to do so by a “recognized tribe.” Supporters of the logo characterize it as a long-standing honorific that pays homage to Native American culture.

The state decision was not unexpected. Calorio said during the last budget cycle she identified that funding as lost revenue. She declined to comment on the OPM findings and called the decision to keep the nickname a school board decision.

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“Pursuant to the statute, the Office of Policy and Management carefully reviewed each submission from every municipality and school district in the state, which included every public elementary, middle, and high school,” OPM Secretary Jeffrey Beckham said in a press release. “Three schools, Canton High School, Killingly High School, and Windsor High School all certified that they will continue using Native American names, images, or symbols, and as a result those schools are ineligible to receive grants provided by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund.”

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The fund is replenished through a portion of slot revenues generated at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos with about $50 million a year distributed to municipalities through grants.

Five other Connecticut schools use Native American names, symbols or imagery, including the Mohegan Elementary School in Montville, but each received consent from recognized tribes to continue their use, OPM officials said.

What happened to the Killingly Red Hawks?

The Killingly High School sports moniker underwent a see-saw process in recent years. In 2019, the Board of Education, which holds authority on the issue, overwhelmingly voted to take steps to get rid of the Redmen name after a heated, hours-long meeting in which opponents of the mascot characterized it as racist and offensive.

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That decision triggered a political sea-change on the board after voters months later elected several new Republican members – all who ran heavily on the issue of reversing the mascot vote.

In January 2020, the new board voted 5-4 to restore the Redmen name, which had been briefly replaced by the “Red Hawks.”

Connecticut's Mashantucket Pequot and Nipmuc Tribal Nations response to Native American mascots

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in 2019 called the Killingly mascot “derogatory” and applauded the high school students who pushed to have it removed. That same year, Nipmuc Tribal Council Chairman Kenneth Gould Sr. said the use of Native American mascots were not flattering or welcomed by the tribe.

“Native American mascots, often portrayed as caricatures or cartoons, are demeaning to Native Americans and it is our opinion that they should not be used,” Gould said. “We do not feel it is appropriate for our culture to be appropriated in this way, or that we should be represented in this way.”

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Even after nearly three years after the Native American name was re-introduced, that decision is still brought up and second-guessed at board meetings.

At a February board meeting, Greg Shimer, director of account services for the Southington-based Rebel Interactive public relations group, bluntly told members they had an image problem that could be traced at least in part to the mascot reinstatement.

“Do you have an image problem? Yes,” he said at the time. “It’s in the room. You can feel it right now.”

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In May, several board members took umbrage that a digital logo for the now-defunct “Red Hawks” logo was flashing up on a high school sports scoring table and the same nickname was graphically added into some sports team photos.

Thursday's announcement was the second state finding this month related to a controversial - and in some segments of the community, highly unpopular - local school board decision. On Nov. 2, the state Board of Education ordered an inquiry be held into the alleged inactions of the Killingly board for its reported failure to address the emotional and mental health needs of its students.

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Killingly BOE decision to keep controversial mascot means lost revenue