Families and workers fill a Eugene 4J School Board meeting in Eugene, Ore., Dec. 10, 2025.
Rebecca Hansen-White / KLCC
Eugene 4J must close a $30 million budget gap caused by declining enrollment and rising costs. Superintendent Miriam Mickelson said she’s hoping making those big reductions this year will save families and staff from big cuts in future years.
Eugene 4J is one of many school districts across Oregon that have struggled with declining enrollment. Mickelson said Eugene’s housing costs have also remained high, meaning young families may not be moving into the district.
That, paired with the expiration of additional pandemic support dollars, means that 4J will have to downsize its workforce.
Mickelson said the budget she is writing and announcing in stages is based in part on a survey the district released to the community, as well as feedback from listening sessions.
“It was very clear, the number one theme from that was to protect direct services to students,” Mickelson said. “Keeping that in mind, we decided to keep cuts as far away from the classroom, and I started with my own executive leadership team.”
Next year, the district will go from four assistant superintendents to one. It’ll also spend less on technology and outside contracts, and potentially lay off 32 managers and supervisors. Some of those cuts, Phase 1 and part of Phase 2, have already been formally announced and discussed by the school board. The district will do a deeper dive on reducing managers and supervisors in January.
Mickelson said starting a tough budget early should give affected workers a few months to allow them to look for other jobs. It should also help students adjust.
“They may see that some of their beloved staff members are not there, but for the most part they should still have the very rigorous and meaningful, wonderful learning experiences that they have as students,” she said. “The goal is for them to not feel the pain of the budget reduction and we have a better chance of doing that when we have the time.”
Details of Phase 3 of the cuts will be discussed by the school board in late January and early February. Those cuts will impact schools and classrooms, and will likely be more visible to students and the community. Mickelson said she tried to save that for last to ensure the district has found all the savings it could elsewhere first.
If the district cuts $30 million this year, Mickelson said she anticipates it will make about $8 million in reductions next year and — she hopes — minimal to no reductions the following year. She said there are still a few unknowns, however, such as the potential future impacts of policy changes at the federal government, some of which already caused disruption for Oregon districts over the summer.
Family School’s future
Family School, an alternative elementary in south Eugene, is potentially on the chopping block and will be discussed during phase 3.
Patrick Tierney, the father of two Family School students, said he and many other parents are asking the district for a compromise: co-locate Family School in a shared 4J building.
Tierney said Family School’s staff has always been small, and their approach has been especially helpful for neurodivergent students, like his daughter, who felt left behind in her neighborhood school.
“Having seen the program work for my daughter, they’ve done more with less for a long time,” Tierney said.
Family School Elementary in Eugene, Ore., Dec. 15, 2025.
Rebecca Hansen- / KLCC
Tierney said he’s one of many parents who would homeschool, or find a charter school, if 4J shuts down the program.
Joey Carlson is the father of two former Family School students. He said his son attended around a decade ago, when 4J previously considered shutting it down during a budget crunch.
He said ultimately the district changed course after realizing that placing those students in other schools, or having them leave the district, would cost more in the long run. He said there’s been a significant level of turnover in the district’s leadership since then, and past and current parents are trying to share strategies the district has used in the past.
“With all of the benefits the program provides to the students, how can we make this a financially viable solution for 4J rather than feeling compelled to close it down to save money,” Carlson said.
Carlson said the district did co-locate Family School with another school before it moved to its current location, and a shared location could lead to better transit access, expanding to more grades or other benefits.
Mickelson said she’s meeting with parents and discussing co-location. The 4J board will discuss Family School and other potential classroom cuts or school-level cuts in January and early February.
Other schools in the region, including Bethel and Corvallis, have had to consider school closures in the face of declining enrollment and budget challenges. Besides Family School, Mickelson said the 4J isn’t considering any school closures or consolidations at this time.
Rebecca Hansen-White is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
