By Stephen Floyd
Scott Drue has resigned as superintendent of the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) as the district braces for an $825,000 budget shortfall and faces a crisis of employee trust.
Drue’s resignation was accepted by the School Board during a special meeting Wednesday night effective immediately. The board then named Assistant Superintendent Dan Busch as acting superintendent.
In a prepared statement, Drue told the board his decision to step down was in light of personal challenges and he is taking a break from education.
“I’ve given every single ounce of my energy to this incredible school district, and it pains me to admit that life has been extremely difficult for me personally over the past four years,” said Drue. “Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I must resign and tend to my personal life for the time being before I continue to work as an educational leader.”
Board Chair Jennifer Traeger thanked Drue in the board’s own prepared statement for his “tireless” work to bring new programs to SFSD and to close achievement gaps.
“Our school district now has a fully-matched curriculum and comprehensive common standards-based assessment framework,” said Traeger. “Our teachers are collaborating over data as teams and this is just one of many reasons why our school district has a solid foundation to build upon.”
“We wish Mr. Drue nothing but the best in his future endeavors in public education,” she added.
Drue became superintendent of SFSD in July of 2020 following the sudden retirement of former Superintendent Andy Bellando in June of 2019. Beforehand Drue was an administrator with the Beaverton School District and an elementary school teacher and programs advisor for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Drue’s tenure with SFSD was defined by crisis, beginning amid a global pandemic in 2020 that saw strict lockdowns enforced by the state and a 10 percent drop in local enrollment. That year Silverton was also threatened by wildfires, while 2021 brought a devastating ice storm to the region, further destabilizing families and infrastructure in the district.
As these disasters abated, 2022 saw the beginning of a year-long contract negotiation with the Silver Falls Education Association, with hard lines drawn over teacher pay, class sizes and administrator accountability. A strike was averted in April of 2023 when compromises were reached and a final contract approved.
The union remained wary of the administration and these concerns were intensified on Feb. 26 when the board was informed the district was facing an $825,000 budget shortfall that threatened June payroll. During Monday night’s regular board meeting, the SFEA Executive Team declared they were filing a formal complaint against Drue for “financial negligence.”
SFEA has been critical of the EdEx continuing education program Drue implemented in 2020 and has asked the board to look into the full costs of the program to the district. Drue has also faced criticism for the expenditure of $275,600 on consultants to promote a failed $138 million facilities bond in November of 2023.
SFSD also expects a $2.6 million overrun in teacher wages and benefits, which Drue largely attributed to higher wages approved in the 2023 contract. SFEA has challenged this assertion, saying wage increases were already known when the 2023-2024 budget was approved and if the increases posed a deficit the budget should have been amended.
When approached after Wednesday’s meeting, the SFEA Executive Team told Our Town they were not yet prepared to give a statement and would follow up later.
Neither Drue nor the board addressed the budget crisis in their statements. Traeger did say in her own words during the meeting: “The events that have brought us here tonight have transpired very rapidly.”
Traeger also said the search for a new superintendent could be a difficult, lengthy process as the board strives to be “legitimate and fair” in their search. She asked residents and district employees for patience with the many steps that must come next.
“Our eyes are on the students at this point and we want to make sure whatever we do is the least disruptive to the district operations that support our students,” she said.
