By Stephen Floyd
The Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) is filing a formal complaint against Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Superintendent Scott Drue amid a budget crisis that appears to threaten June paychecks.
During the March 11 meeting of the SFSD Board, the SFEA Executive Team shared a statement alleging Drue committed acts of “financial negligence” that resulted in a projected $825,000 deficit.
If the deficit is not resolved, officials have said the district will not be able to make payroll in June. Efforts to close the gap include a current hiring freeze and a potential Tax Anticipation Note, drawing from future funds from the state.
“We are facing the most significant financial crisis our district has ever seen,” SFEA President Lori Wyer told the board. “There has been severe mismanagement of public funds and no accountability is taken.”
Wyer said SFEA has taken exception to Drue’s explanation that the deficit resulted largely from increased teacher salaries following union negotiations that concluded in April 2023.
Wyer pointed out union negotiations concluded before the current budget was passed by the board in June 2023 and the increases would not have been a surprise.
“If our agreed-upon salaries significantly impacted the budget, then the budget should have been adjusted,”
she said.
She went on to describe how the current hiring freeze has led to teachers being reassigned or given added responsibilities as open positions are not filled. Wyer said, while they appreciate this as an alternative to layoffs and furloughs, educators are feeling stretched thin.
“Ultimately, it means [teachers] taking on more work and being able to do even less for our students,” she said. The cost to the union has been “our fractured trust toward the district’s financial responsibility.”
As a result, Wyer said SFEA was “filing a formal complaint against our superintendent for his financial negligence and other various concerns.”
The additional grievances were not shared publicly during the meeting. Wyer said the board received details from the union in the form of survey results and letters from teachers. She said the letters were “the tip of the iceberg” and union members “are very concerned” about Drue’s performance as superintendent.
Drue did not respond to the union or to other claims of mismanagement made during the public comment portion of the meeting.
When asked about the allegations the meeting, Drue told Our Town, “We’re continuing to listen to everyone’s concerns and we want to make sure we have a budget for next year that is the least impactful to our students and our staff.”
