Canutillo ISD logo redesign draws praise from students, skepticism from trustees over $99,000 contract

Trustees spent a substantial portion of their September meeting debating a district plan to commission professionally designed logos for each campus.

Students, parents and teachers from Northwest Early College and other campuses said a modern, copyrighted logo would help unify the district’s brand, support fundraising and present a professional image for the new facilities. ‘‘Moving forward with this new logo will provide a symbol of a fresh start and a fresh beginning for Northwest,’’ said student Macy Viscata.

At the same time, trustees and several public commenters raised questions about the procurement and oversight process. Coach Scott Brooks, who identified himself as a longtime district coach, said he was ‘‘disappointed’’ by the proposed rebrand for the high school and warned of the cost to replace uniforms, turf and other assets. Multiple trustees asked administration to supply meeting sign‑in sheets, the survey results cited by staff and invoices that show what DLR, the contracted design firm, has completed.

Administration defended the process as industry standard and said it used an RFI (request for information) and engagement with an architect‑approved firm. Presentation slides showed the district received about 200 survey responses and that DLR produced multiple rounds of preliminary designs after more than 20 stakeholder sessions. Administration also said the selected approach lets the district own the intellectual property and provide licensed assets usable at large scale in renderings and on building facades.

But the contract price and addenda were focal points: trustees cited a $99,000 base design fee and a possible additional $20,000 for original artwork and photography. One trustee said that amount could effectively total about $119,000 and urged caution because purchase‑order thresholds and contract timing had limited prior board review.

Board members and staff discussed alternatives including using in‑house designers, contracting at lower per‑logo rates found online, or commissioning student competitions followed by professional refinement. Administration said work to date includes two rounds of designs and about 20 stakeholder meetings and that a purchase order had not yet been issued pending answers about scope and invoices.

Presidio, the bond program manager, told the board that savings negotiated on architectural fees — cited in the presentation as $2.3 million — can be used to fund some design work so the cost would not come from the operating budget.

Trustees directed staff to return with requested documentation (survey responses, sign‑in sheets, scope and invoice detail) before issuing a purchase order. The board did not take an immediate final vote on revoking or approving additional expenditures tied to the contract.