By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has laid off 62 employees including 20 teachers in the first round of staffing reductions amid efforts to cut $8.8 million from next year’s budget. Staff were notified May 22 and 23 after the SFSD Board voted unanimously May 20 to authorize Interim Superintendent Joe Morelock to begin reductions in force […]
Scott Drue has resigned as superintendent of the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) amid a deficit projection of more than $825,000 and concerns from teachers of “toxic” leadership. Drue’s resignation was accepted by the SFSD Board during a special meeting March 13, effective immediately. The board then named Assistant Superintendent Dan Busch as acting superintendent. In a prepared statement, Drue […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Stephen Floyd A $138 million bond measure for the Silver Falls School District failed by a wide margin in the Nov. 7 election. Results published Nov. 8 by the Oregon Secretary of State showed Measure 24-486 failing by 55.37% out of 6,782 ballots cast by voters in Marion and Clackamas counties. The SFSD bond would have funded improvements to […]
Editor’s note: Our Town is presenting a school-by-school review of the facility challenges at each building covered by the Silver Falls School District bond proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot. For previous stories go to ourtownlive.com. By Stephen Floyd Mark Twain and Robert Frost elementary schools both recently had extreme examples of building failures during the start of a school […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board has ratified a contract with the district teachers’ union, officially closing a long and sometimes-contentious round of collective bargaining. During its May 8 meeting, the board unanimously ratified a contract with the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA), whose membership ratified the contract beforehand. The agreement retroactively went […]
By Stephen Floyd Teachers won their class size targets and administrators kept their management flexibility in a tentative contract approved April 18 between The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) and Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA). The tentative contract was the result of a year of bargaining that saw the parties split on issues of class size, teacher pay, grievances and […]
By Stephen Floyd It was an unprecedented week for the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA), between a rally in Downtown Silverton and a meeting directly with the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board. The district and union continue to negotiate a contract one year after bargaining began in April of 2022. A sixth mediation session is scheduled for April 17. […]
By Stephen Floyd Note: This article has been updated to reflect corrections and a statement from SFSD. Teachers with the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) have declared an impasse and authorized a potential strike after nearly a year of contract negotiations. SFEA made the announcement Friday evening, March 17, after a third mediation session on March 9 did not result […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is headed to a third mediation session with its teachers’ union as collective bargaining continues nearly a year after it began. Parties are scheduled to enter mediation again March 9 after sessions Feb. 7 and 13 did not result in finalized contract proposals. Both sides are allowed to declare an impasse […]
By Stephen Floyd Tensions in the stalled labor negotiations between the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) and the teachers’ union have ramped up. The Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) said an infographic broadcast Jan. 24 via ParentSquare, and later on the district’s website, was “an escalation” as the two parties entered mediation. “We feel the extensive document sent out to […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) says it would face financial hardship if it accepted terms proposed by the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) as the two head to mediation Feb. 1. On Jan. 24, the district issued a statement addressed to “Silver Falls Families” saying the union’s requests for higher teacher pay and limits on class […]
By Stephen Floyd Labor negotiations between the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) and Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) have entered mediation. Critical issues related to class size, teacher pay and grievance procedures remain unresolved after nearly eight months of bargaining. During a meeting Dec. 1 between SFSD administrators and SFEA representatives, both parties agreed mediation would be the most effective […]
By Stephen Floyd Labor negotiations in the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) are entering their eighth month as union members stand firm on class size limits. A new bargaining session is scheduled for Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. at the Silverton High School Library, as educators continue to work under last year’s expired contract. Though such proceedings are typically closed, […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has agreed to pay $57,500 to settle a legal dispute with former Band Director Frank Petrik after his teaching contract was terminated in August for alleged insubordination. On Oct. 24, the district board unanimously approved a settlement agreement between SFSD, Petrik and the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA). In addition to […]
By Stephen Floyd Teachers in the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) are currently working under last year’s expired contract as labor negotiations drag on in the shadows of high inflation, housing costs and COVID-19 burnout. Negotiations began in April, and teachers with the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) started the school year with nine of 16 contract terms settled with […]
By Stephen Floyd Roughly half of teachers within the Silver Falls School District have either considered leaving during the current school year, or are open to the idea, according to a recent survey by the teacher’s union. Members of the Silver Falls Education Association were anonymously polled to gauge their level of burnout due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 60 […]
By Stephen Floyd Roughly half of teachers within the Silver Falls School District have either considered leaving during the current school year, or are open to the idea, according to a recent survey by the teacher’s union. Members of the Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA) were anonymously polled to gauge their level of burnout due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Around […]
By Stephen Floyd Students at Silverton High School staged opposing protests last month to highlight what they believed were harmful COVID conditions in the classroom. A walkout held Jan. 19 protested state mandates requiring students to wear face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while a walkout held Jan. 20 called for a two-week return to distance learning in […]
By Brenna Wiegand It took eight months, but Silver Falls School District and Silver Falls Education Association have shaken hands on a contract. The school board ratified a three-year contract Feb. 3. Silver Falls School District Assistant Superintendent Dan Busch said the administration made a special effort to get teachers their retroactive pay, providing educators the reimbursement along with their […]
By Paula Mabry After a final mediation session that lasted well into the evening Jan. 27, Silver Falls Education Association and the Silver Falls School District came to an accord on wages and contract language. Now the proposed settlement must go to the school board and SFEA membership for ratification. The school board meets Feb. 3. As of Our Town […]
By Brenna Wiegand Contract negotiations between Silver Falls School District and the Silver Falls Education Association resumed Sept. 24 after the union, frustrated, walked out of the Aug. 5 bargaining session. More than 100 educators and community members turned out in red to support the teachers’ union Sept. 24. Negotiations officially began May 15; the last contract expired in July. […]
By Brenna Wiegand Grievances filed in February 2018 by Silver Falls Education Association on behalf of a Silverton High School English teacher were resolved as of the school board’s June 10 meeting. The matter surfaced in September 2017 when the grading protocol for the college English course Writing 121/122, taught by Ben Hynes-Stone and colleague Travis Woodside, was brought into […]
