Springfield School Board needs a reset
Dear Editor:
In a close 3–2 vote, the Springfield Board of Education approved a $2.34 million midyear reduction-in-force that will eliminate 27 licensed full-time-equivalent positions after semester break. Board Chair Heather Quaas-Annsa and members Nicole De Graff and Ken Kohl cast the deciding votes.
No one denies that budgets are tight. But leadership is tested by how decisions are made and who bears the burden. Midyear layoffs are among the most destabilizing decisions a district can make. The district itself acknowledges middle schools will shift teachers back to six periods, and high schools will adjust schedules and course sections. That means real disruption for students, families and educators. It means reshuffled classrooms, altered learning plans and broken continuity halfway through the year.
In communities like Springfield, Creswell, Pleasant Hill, and Cottage Grove, schools are not just services; they are anchors. We ask kids to show up, focus, and persist. Adults in power should meet that same standard by planning transparently, building consensus early, and avoiding crisis governance.
That is why I am calling on Heather Quaas-Annsa, Nicole De Graff and Ken Kohl to resign. Resignation is not vengeance; it is accountability. Springfield needs board leadership that can rebuild trust, publish realistic budget scenarios before emergencies, and treat stability as a core educational value, not an optional add-on.
Our district can face hard financial truths without sacrificing the confidence of families and the dignity of educators. We will not get there without new leadership.
Devon Lawson
Springfield
Mid-year layoffs break Springfield’s promise to families
Dear Editor:
In Springfield, Cottage Grove, Creswell, and Pleasant Hill, our schools are the daily heartbeat of the community. Buses on rural roads, parents starting early shifts, and teachers unlocking classrooms before sunrise.
That trust was fractured midyear when the Springfield Board of Education voted 3–2 to approve a $2.34 million “reduction in force,” equivalent to 36 full-time positions, beginning after semester break.
Whatever the budget pressure, midyear layoffs are the most disruptive option because they push the costs onto everyone else. Teachers who spent months earning student trust are told their work can end overnight. Working parents are forced to rework childcare, transportation, and jobs that don’t offer flexibility. Rural households lose the little margin they have. Students with IEPs lose consistent support. Multilingual and immigrant families must translate new schedules and new expectations while trying to stay engaged. LGBTQ students who rely on one trusted adult for safety and belonging may suddenly lose that lifeline.
This isn’t just “staffing.” It is a community-wide disruption, and it raises a serious question about representation. A public system should be guided by public input, not personal instincts. Board members lead on behalf of the people. You work for the public; the public does not work for you.
Lane County, if the people most affected are warning this will harm learning and community trust, what will it take for them to be heard before the damage is done?
Heather Quaas-Annsa, Ken Kohl, and Nicole De Graff should resign and make room for accountable leaders who listen to students, families, and the educators who hold this district together, not tear it apart. Is this the kind of Springfield and the kind of America we want our children to learn from?
I’m Abraham Constantino, a Springfield High School graduate and CNA.
Abraham Constantino
Springfield
