The union that represents Springfield teachers has filed an unfair labor practice complaint, accusing district leaders of using a mid-year layoff to derail labor negotiations.
Springfield Public Schools laid off 27 teachers in January. At the time, the district’s top administrators said the budget the school board approved did not include funds for licensed staff cost of living increases.
The administrators told the school board a layoff was required to keep the budget balanced.
In a complaint filed late last month, the union representing those workers said the district provided no evidence to back up those claims. They also accused district leaders of using scare tactics to intimidate union members during negotiations and before the vote to ratify their contract.
The union said that the teachers impacted, including the 27 who were laid off and two who were moved to part-time, had little warning they were about to lose their jobs.
“By announcing layoffs just nine days before implementing them, the District knowingly inflicted as difficult a situation as possible onto the bargaining unit – again, at the exact time that the parties were reaching tentative agreement and approaching a ratification vote,” the complaint reads.
The union has asked the Oregon Employment Relations Board to reinstate laid-off employees, find that Springfield Public Schools violated labor law, and order the district to pay financial penalties.
Union leadership did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
In a statement, Springfield Public Schools spokesperson Brian Richardson said the district could not comment on the specifics of the complaint because it's an ongoing legal process, but he said the district was committed to working collaboratively with staff and maintaining a transparent budget process.
“What we can share is that throughout the bargaining process the District consistently communicated the financial realities facing the 2025–26 budget,” Richardson wrote. “The District’s adopted operating budget assumed a zero percent cost-of-living adjustment for all employee groups, and any compensation increases agreed to through bargaining would need to be reconciled within that existing budget.”
He said the district is facing the same enrollment challenges other districts are struggling with, and is responsible for ensuring it operates within its means.
Some members of the school board and its top administrators, former superintendent Todd Hamilton and assistant superintendent David Collins, were already at odds before the layoffs.
Board members Jonathan Light and Ken Kohl had been censured for violating policy. Hamilton and Collins also accused Light, Kohl and board member Amber Langworthy of retaliating against them in a tort claim notice. The district is also facing a state investigation over its curriculum.
After the layoffs, community members launched a recall effort against Kohl and two other board members. Then chair Heather Quaas-Annsa resigned, citing dysfunction, harassment and alleged threats against her. Hamilton and Collins have also since resigned.
In February, ,the board appointed Jodi O’Mara to serve as acting superintendent.
A representative of Springfield Education Association, Katie Ryan, presented a vote of “no confidence” in the district’s leadership at a school board meeting last week. The union also asked the board to bring back laid-off staff, and include them and the community in any future layoff discussions.
“Whoever holds these leadership positions, we want to work together to strengthen Springfield Public Schools for the students we all serve,” Ryan said.
Springfield is far from the only school district facing budget challenges.
Portland Public Schools is also planning mid-year cuts after discovering a $10 million gap due to unexpected maintenance expenses and lawsuit costs, and anticipating greater cuts next school year.
Eugene 4J School District is planning to cut $30 million in spending next school year and Bethel and Corvallis are closing schools.
In addition to the mid-year layoff, Springfield is facing an anticipated $10 million budget gap next school year.
