Springfield superintendent and his assistant threaten to sue district and school board members

Two top administrators at Springfield Public Schools have declared their intent to sue the district and three members of the school board.

In a letter sent Dec. 16 to the district, an attorney representing Superintendent Todd Hamilton and Assistant Superintendent David Collins said the leaders’ claims against the district and board members Jonathan Light, Ken Kohl and Amber Langworthy could include defamation, false light (a wrong similar to defamation), retaliation and breaking whistleblower protection law.

Brian Richardson, communications director at Springfield Public Schools said if there is a lawsuit filed, the district’s decision to legally represent board members “would be based on specific facts and legal circumstances.”

The letter served as a tort claim notice, a necessary first legal document for those pursuing legal action against a public body for personal damages. It also included a broad request to preserve and produce public records, including correspondence between “anyone at Springfield Public Schools” regarding Collins and Hamilton — from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 16, 2025.

Hamilton and Collins are represented by attorney Daniel E. Thenell from Lake Oswego-based law firm Thenell Law Group. The firm specializes in a variety of civil litigation including personal injury defense.

The potential lawsuit is centered on a conflict between district administrators and board members that began in August, when administrators filed a formal complaint against Light, who was then the board chair.

The complaint accused Light of overstepping his authority in his inquiry about a state-level investigation into the district. The complaint was later leaked, leading to public uproar against the district. Through the fall semester, district leaders filed more complaints against board members — alleging retaliation and violations of board policy. These have resulted in investigations and board leadership changes.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield reached out for comment about the potential lawsuit. Light and Langworthy deferred to board chair Heather Quaas-Annsa, who deferred to the district. Richardson, the district spokesperson, said the district does not comment on potential or pending litigation.

What led to a threat of legal action

Thenell said in the tort claim letter that Hamilton and Collins’ claims date to August 2025 and continued through mid-December, when the attorney sent the notice.

“The actions stem from a broader continuing pattern of retaliation that began in 2021 when Jonathan Light returned to the Board,” Thenell wrote.

Here is the chain of events that have occurred between August and Dec. 16:

• Aug. 6: Complaint against Light for overreach, “misuse of authority”. Hamilton and Collins filed a formal complaint against Light, who was then the board chair, for contacting the Oregon Department of Education to inquire about an ongoing investigation into Springfield Public Schools’ elementary curriculum without authorization from other board members or district officials.
• Aug. 25: Allegations of information leak, retaliation. Collins and human resources director Dustin Reese filed a formal complaint alleging that someone on the Springfield school board disclosed the complaint against Light illegally, as evidenced by an Aug. 22 Community Alliance for Public Education social media post. The post rallied people to show up at a school board meeting in support of Light. The original complaint against Light was to be shared in a private executive session Aug. 25. Collins framed the leak as a violation of the board’s whistleblower policy, which protects an employee when they report a potential violation of law or policy of their employer, and he said he believed he was experiencing retaliation and intimidation.
• Aug. 25: Collins announces end-of-year resignation. On the same day that Collins filed the complaint alleging a violation of his whistleblower protections, he also sent a resignation letter to the board and the superintendent, preemptively announcing his exit from the district at the end of June 2026. According to the letter, which Lookout obtained via a public records request, Collins said he was resigning due to the retaliation and intimidation he experienced from the complaint against Light being leaked. “As a public servant of Springfield Public Schools for 29 years and committed to ethical governance, transparency, and the well-being of our school community, I cannot continue in a system where serious breaches of conduct are ignored, whistleblowers are retaliated against, and trust in leadership is compromised,” Collins wrote in his resignation letter.

• Aug. 27: Complaint against Kohl. Finance director Brett Yancey filed a formal complaint against the board’s vice chair at the time, Ken Kohl, for reaching out to the Oregon Department of Education without board or district consent to inquire about Yancey’s job responsibilities and alleging Kohl bullied and harassed Yancey.
• Nov. 3: Board removes Light and Kohl from leadership. After an investigation into district leaders’ complaints, the board voted to remove Light and Kohl from leadership, censure Light and require school board governance training for the board members.
• Nov. 18: Complaint against Light, Kohl and Langworthy. Reese, the human resources director, filed a formal complaint against the three board members for violations of board policy, serial communications and retaliation against the superintendent. It outlines several board member comments during meetings that Reese characterizes as retaliatory, as well as “coordinated public messaging” by Light, including a Lookout letter to the editor by “a known associate of Director Light.”
• Dec. 10: Board chair stops public speaker in board meeting. Board chair Heather Quaas-Annsa stopped Sarah Bosch from speaking about matters that touched on open board investigations, saying it was a liability risk to the district, especially when referring to an individual who is named in a formal complaint. Bosch criticized “district leadership” in her speech. While it was unclear what investigations Quaas-Annsa was referring to, Lookout received confirmation from the district that there was a formal complaint filed against Hamilton.

Since the board and district received the tort claim notice, board members voted to approve the district’s midyear staffing cuts, which resulted in 27 teachers losing their jobs at the end of January. Light and Langworthy voted against, while Kohl voted for the cuts.

Collins’ resignation means his last day at the district will be June 30, but Hamilton’s future at Springfield Public Schools is uncertain. The superintendent’s current contract ends June 30 and the board has yet to perform an evaluation and vote on the extension of his contract.

According to state law, someone with a legal claim against a public entity must file a tort claim notice within 180 days of the “alleged loss or injury.” Springfield Public Schools can now try to resolve the claim before Hamilton and Collins file a lawsuit.