David Nelson
James StegallA few springtime flowers from this morning
Lack of dynamic curriculum also leads to teacher apathy. They aren't excited about the material or teaching, impacting a family's decision to leave the district. According to CAPE, Springfield School District has not updated curriculum in 7 years. #SpringfieldOR
The next #SpringfieldOR school district meeting accepting public comment is Monday, March 9th, 2026 at the Springfield School district office on A St or watch online https://vimeo.com/SpringfieldPS
At Oregon Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) public forum. According to an anonymous, social media survey, kids are leaving #SpringfieldOR because of class sizes, lack of emotional support, lack of challenge, and opportunity to attend another district.
However, Springfield's A3 High School has 50% enrollment from other districts.
Other factors in declining enrollment:
External: Economic, Societal, Political, Big Picture
--falling birth rates, access to housing, aging population, lack of jobs, cost of living, family stressors
Internal: Policies, Procedures, Practices, Decisions, goals, top-down management, standardized testing, unengaging curriculum
2026 is perfect storm of external and internal factors building for 20 years of No Child Left Behind for all schools.
According to Oregon Department of Education, all school enrollment was rising until COVID, then saw decline overall, but Springfield is dropping ahead of curve.
Bend and LaPine are examples of growing populations of retirees with no increase in student enrollment.
At the Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) public forum in #springfieldor https://www.oregoncape.org addressing "Is declining enrollment inevitable in Springfield schools?"
