After deciding to drop its ship logo, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education has hired a consultant at a cost not to exceed $75,000 to create a replacement. On Wednesday night, the board unanimously agreed to hire Zeste Consulting, a Studio City-based firm.

In September, the board heeded calls from some in the community to dump the ship image, linked to Christopher Columbus. Speakers aired concerns about the explorer's abuse of indigenous people. At the time, the board directed staff to return with a process and timeline for replacing the logo, leading to the proposal to hire the consultant. The district expects it to take about five months to craft a motto, logo and use guidelines.