Community members warn of staffing shortfalls and declining enrollment at Bandon SD 54

Amber Berg, a substitute teacher, told the Bandon School District 54 board that she has seen ‘‘kids are exhausted, and they're apathetic’’ and that students told her ‘‘we barely have any real teachers anymore.’’ Berg described classrooms with AI-created, ungraded worksheets and said many students feel they have ‘‘no idea if I'm on the right track or not.’’

The meeting drew multiple public comments echoing those concerns. A community member who read survey results on behalf of Bandon Schools Deserve Better reported that 29.6% of survey respondents said they were considering other schooling options and that 8.2% said they had already unenrolled students. ‘‘When asked why,’’ the commenter said, ‘‘respondents cited lack of experienced core-subject teachers, lack of support for students with educational barriers and worries about readiness for college and postsecondary programs.’’

Why it matters: Board members and administrators heard consistent accounts from substitute teachers, parents and advocacy groups that teacher turnover and long-term vacancies are affecting instructional continuity at multiple grade levels. District administrators acknowledged an unusually high level of certified staff absences, with single-day peaks of 13–14 certified staff out and an average of about 10 licensed teacher absences per day.

District response and next steps: District administration (speaker 2) told the board it has expanded in-house substitute onboarding and increased the number of licensed substitutes compared with prior years, but said absences currently exceed available substitutes and some substitutes are committed to long-term assignments. Administrators reported that, when necessary, administrators have substituted in classrooms to cover teaching duties and asked the community to sign up to serve as substitutes to help fill gaps.

Multiple parents raised legal and policy questions. One parent asked whether the long-term use of unlicensed staff to lead core classes (specifically geometry) is lawful in Oregon; the parent said unlicensed staff have led that class ‘‘since the start of the semester’’ with assignments left ungraded for weeks. The board did not provide an immediate legal determination during the meeting and referred procedural and staffing questions to administrators for follow-up.

What to watch: Several speakers asked for concrete, measurable actions tied to district goals and for clearer reporting on staffing plans, hiring timelines, and how the district will ensure licensed instruction in core subjects. The district scheduled a listening session for May 26 and indicated it will continue to recruit substitutes and review staffing assignments.

The public comment period on non-agenda items closed without a board vote; the board later entered an executive session on personnel matters.