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QuickTake:
Schools will experience new leadership, fresh mandates from the state, changes to 4J school meals and the effects of staffing losses this fall.
Luring them with hot coffee and pastries, Bethel School District superintendent Kraig Sproles convened his staff members for Bethel’s annual back-to-school rally Sept. 1.
Many in the crowd at Willamette High School’s football stadium were returning employees, some dating back decades. Others were new teachers or victims of layoffs at neighboring districts. Sproles highlighted how closing two schools over the past two years, while difficult, had enabled Bethel to retain staff.
“When other districts were needing to reduce their staff and lay off some of their staff, some of their best and brightest — not because they wanted to, but because they were in financial difficulties — when other districts were doing that, we hired them up,” Sproles said. “We stand today as a district that’s on the cusp of greatness.”
It’s the cusp of a new school year in Eugene School District 4J, Springfield Public Schools and Bethel. In addition to seeing spruced-up buildings and grounds, students and staff will see the results of staffing and programmatic cuts, school consolidations, new leadership and new assessments.
At the Bethel rally, school board vice chair Curt Nordling spoke to the important role of teachers and school staff amid the challenges.
“We all have lists of those that changed us and the world around us, and you will be on lists this year,” Nordling told attendees at the Bethel rally. “You’ll be in the thoughts of our students, the minds of your colleagues, and perhaps spoken around kitchen tables in this community for weeks, months, and perhaps years to come. You are about to embark on a journey where our work isn’t to produce things, but to change lives.”
Five education stories to watch this year
Whether it’s a favorite teacher missing from the roster or a favorite meal no longer served in the cafeteria, students will feel losses from budget cuts this year. The year will also bring more difficult budget decisions and new state mandates for administrators. Here are some of the issues that will affect students, teachers and administrators this year:
- School consolidations: Camas Ridge Community School and Family School will be co-located this year at Camas Ridge’s building on East 29th Avenue, and most Shasta Middle School students and staff will be moving to Cascade Middle School after Shasta’s closure. Cascade Middle will have two portable classrooms this year to accommodate the influx of students.
- Changes to 4J meal offerings: Students in 4J schools will still be able to receive one free serving of breakfast and lunch a day, but scratch cooking and unlimited servings are now luxuries of the past. Parents who got used to relying on unlimited free school meals may now have to learn how to refill their students’ lunch account. Families in need of financial assistance can contact 4J. The district is partnering with the Eugene Education Foundation and Metro Rotary for nutrition scholarships.
- New testing and state accountability goals: To comply with a new state law, districts this year will track eight goals they plan to reach by 2030 revolving around attendance, test scores and graduation rates. Bethel and 4J will also introduce new interim math and reading tests, which students will take three times a year in accordance with the law. Students in 4J have already taken interim assessments in the past, but the tests will look different this year. Administrators will report results to school boards.
- Choosing Springfield’s superintendent: Shawn Stover started as Springfield’s interim superintendent in July, but the school board must appoint a permanent superintendent by the end of the school year. Stover has expressed his desire to stay on long term, but it’s the board’s decision.
- More budget woes: As laid out in a recent 4J school board meeting, districts are entering another challenging budgeting year due to external and internal factors. Enrollment declines, structural deficits, state funding unknowns, upcoming bargaining and pension cost increases loom large in districts’ futures.
Meet the new principal
Many principals taking on new roles are not new to the Eugene-Springfield area, but their faces may be new to families.
4J
Buena Vista Spanish Immersion Elementary School: Jen Hebard will take over the helm at Buena Vista this year after Principal Mark Hinthorn retired last year. Hebard comes from Hé Lín Chinese Immersion Elementary School, where she was principal for nine years. She served as principal of Family School and Kennedy Middle School for short stints as well.
Camas Ridge Community School and Family School: Carlos Sequeira will become the new principal of two co-located schools this year, following the move of Family School from Crest Drive to Camas Ridge. Sequeira previously was the assistant principal at Spencer Butte Middle School for three years and assistant superintendent at Lane Education Service District for seven years. Former Camas Ridge principal Hobie Blackhorn is now a middle school assistant principal in southern California. Former Family School principal Teresa Martindale retired.
Springfield
Academy of Arts and Academics: Matt O’Reilly will lead A3 this year after Ame Beard’s departure from the role she held for seven years. O’Reilly comes from Hamlin Middle School, where he was assistant principal. He also previously served as dean of students at Agnes Stewart Middle School.
Agnes Stewart Middle School: Angela Landy will become the permanent leader of Agnes Stewart after serving as the acting principal of the school for the majority of the 2025-26 school year.
Briggs Middle School: Betsy Johnson comes to Briggs from Springfield High School, where she was previously assistant principal.
Thurston Middle School: Andy Price will lead Thurston Middle after being principal of Walterville Elementary for four years. He served as assistant principal at Thurston Middle for five years from 2017-2022.
Riverbend Elementary School: Calli Dean will lead Riverbend this year. In past years, she was assistant principal at Centennial Elementary, Maple Elementary and Springfield High School.
Walterville Elementary School: Melissa Locke will be the half-time principal assigned to Walterville this year, a position that was reduced in hours this year due to budget cuts. Locke has previously served as the district’s administrator of federal programs and grants, Hamlin Middle’s assistant principal and an elementary school principal in Roseburg.
Bethel
Prairie Mountain School: Trinity Welch-Radabaugh will take the helm of Prairie Mountain after serving as principal of Shasta Middle School last year. Previously she was assistant principal at Willamette High School and principal and assistant principal at North Eugene High School. Former Prairie Mountain Principal Jaime Noack is now a principal in the Oregon City area.
First Day of School dates
4J: Sept. 8 for kindergarteners, sixth graders and ninth graders, Sept. 9 for all other grades
Springfield: Sept. 9 for half of kindergarteners, first-fifth graders, sixth graders and ninth graders. Sept. 10 for the other half of kindergarteners, seventh-eight graders, 10th-12th graders.
Bethel: Sept. 8 for kindergarten-eighth grade and ninth grade orientation, Sept. 9 for 10th-12th grade.
