A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

Budget Update: Challenging Times to Come

Oregon school districts anticipate significant funding shortfalls 

Dear families,

This has been an exceptionally challenging time for our families, our schools, and our community. We have lost the normalcy of our daily school routines. Our community has lost jobs and businesses. Our nation has lost thousands of lives.

We also have lost the rosy vision of our schools’ financial future. Just a couple of months ago, this vision was nearly in our grasp. After years of disinvestment in Oregon’s educational system, we were expecting to turn the corner with Student Success Act reinvestments in our public schools to support our students to succeed. We had developed a budget plan for the coming year to provide greater supports for our students, based on forecasts of a healthy state budget and full funding for targeted education investments.

Now, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, we face a new reality. Oregon’s school buildings are closed, and so are many businesses. More than one-sixth of workers in Oregon have been put out of work. This global crisis will significantly impact tax revenues and publicly funded budgets in the coming months and years. Oregon school districts can expect ongoing economic uncertainty and some very difficult financial times to come.

In a press release issued yesterday, Governor Kate Brown said, “With many Oregon businesses restricted or shut down, travel suspended and jobs lost, we expect the revenue that we receive to fund state services will also be significantly reduced...which will lead to some really difficult decisions. Our early discussions indicated this impact could be a reduction of $3 billion for the current budget period. We are exploring all available options to weather this recession, and I have directed state agencies to prepare prioritized reduction plans equaling a 17 percent reduction for the upcoming fiscal year as a planning exercise to explore all options.”

Eugene School District 4J would see a $17.5 million cut next year if across-the-board cuts are made at this level, with additional budget shortfalls expected in the following years. The anticipated new state investments in school supports are no longer expected to make their way to Oregon’s schools in full, if at all, next school year.

More concrete financial information will come from the state economic forecast report later this month, any special session of the state legislature, and beyond. But we know that whatever the news is, it will not return us to the rosy picture we had such a short time ago.

School districts across Oregon and the U.S. are freezing hiring, slowing spending, implementing furlough days, preparing for layoffs, developing budget contingency plans—and advocating for the state to mitigate impacts and protect school funding as much as possible—all while working to connect, care for and educate our students in our new world of distance learning.

This will be hard. 4J is in a better position than many other school districts facing the same funding cuts. We have had community support and been careful and conservative with finances, so our district has some financial reserves that can help fill the gap in times such as this. Still, there will be impacts for our staff, schools and programs. Please watch for information to come about 4J schools’ financial outlook and how our district will address the coming shortfall.

Our goals will be to, to the extent possible:
- Maintain staffing ratios and class sizes
- Protect current staff and prevent layoffs next year
- Preserve learning time and a full school year

We will look at all options to weather the coming storm and shelter our students and our staff as much as possible. We will leave no door locked, no stone unturned. We all must pull together to keep our school system strong and stable.

During all of this change and uncertainty, one thing remains the same: Our staff, students and families are exceptional. Our community is coming together to support one another and our schools will continue to deliver meaningful education and support to our students.

This experience is testing all of us, but it also serves as a strong reminder that we are a resilient community. We know that together, we can persevere through this pandemic, meet this challenge and grow stronger, together.

Gustavo Balderas
Superintendent
Eugene School District 4J

Introducing 4J's New Interim Superintendent  

Current assistant superintendent Cydney Vandercar will be the second woman to lead the district in its 166-year history  

The Eugene School Board has voted unanimously to appoint Cydney Vandercar to be interim superintendent of Eugene School District 4J for the 2020–21 school year.

Ms. Vandercar, currently the district's assistant superintendent for administrative services, grew up in Lane County and has been an educator and leader in Eugene School District 4J for nearly 30 years. She started as a substitute teacher and then taught math for several years before becoming a school administrator.

"Ms. Vandercar has a long history, deep knowledge, established relationships and unbounded caring for the Eugene School District and its students, staff and schools," says school board chair Anne Marie Levis. "She was identified as the finalist among a number of qualified and experienced administrators. We are gratified that she is willing to take on this one-year interim role for what will be a year full of opportunities and challenges as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis."

"Our district will need an experienced leader with heart to guide this important work for our students and our community. The depth of her understanding of our district and her caring for our kids, educators, staff and community will be a stable force as we enter this year of change and opportunity."

In her current role as assistant superintendent for administrative services, Ms. Vandercar oversees finance, human resources, nutrition services and public safety. Her recent experience includes pandemic response leadership, bringing the district’s school meal program in-house, collective bargaining, and bond planning. 

Superintendent Gustavo Balderas, who has led the district for the past five years, will depart in June to be superintendent of a larger school district near Seattle.

Ms. Vandercar will be the second woman to serve as superintendent in the 166 years since the district was founded in 1854.

Graduation Plans: Celebrating the Class of 2020

Virtual commencement now or traditional ceremony later?
4J high schools will do both for this year's graduating seniors 

4J high schools will celebrate the graduating Class of 2020 twice: first with virtual ceremonies in June, followed by in-person traditional commencement ceremonies later, when group gatherings can again be held.

Traditional graduation ceremonies cannot be held in June, due to public health restrictions for our community’s safety. Instead, to celebrate graduations on the original schedule, the district will go virtual. Each high school will produce a virtual graduation ceremony that will follow the look and feel of the traditional graduation ceremony, including student performances and speeches.

High schools will celebrate graduating seniors a second time with traditional in-person commencements at a later point when social distancing requirements have been lifted and large-scale social events are possible.

The Class of 2020 is a special one. The district wants to recognize and honor our graduates in a way that truly celebrates their many accomplishments throughout their K–12 school experience, and wishes them well on the next phase of their journey. We are committed to providing meaningful and memorable, if different, graduation experiences for this year’s seniors.

2020 ACE Awards Nominees 

165 staff and volunteers nominated for educator excellence awards 

Eugene School District 4J staff and volunteers make a difference in the lives of students every day. In a show of immense appreciation, a record 165 outstanding employees and volunteers have been nominated by parents, students and colleagues for the 2020 ACE (A Champion in Education) Awards. Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination to honor a valued staff member or volunteer.

Due to the pandemic, there will not be an in-person awards ceremony held this spring. Stay tuned for information about the virtual awards presentation.

Congratulations to all of our 2020 ACE Awards nominees!