Eugene School District 4J

The school board has approved the final phase of budget reductions to close a projected $30 million shortfall for the coming 2026-27 school year.

The decision, a 6-0 vote, will reduce school-based staffing at by up to 15 full-time-equivalent classified positions (out of 891 FTE district-wide) and up to 95 FTE licensed positions (out of 1,098 FTE district-wide). Individuals affected by the reduction in force have not yet been identified as the process requires multiple steps guided by state requirements, collective bargaining agreements, and district administrative rules. 

All told, accounting for all three phases of reductions, the district will shed up to 269 full-time-equivalent positions, or 12 percent of 4J’s current workforce. The reductions take effect July 1.

The reductions would return 4J’s employee headcount roughly to where it was during the 2019-20 school year – before the district expanded its ranks to meet the increased academic and social-emotional needs of students during and in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 4J used one-time federal emergency aid to largely pay for that staffing expansion, with that money expiring in September 2024. 

During the last six years, meanwhile, 4J’s student enrollment has declined to 14,870 from 16,313 as a result of lower birth rates and increased housing costs, which results in fewer families with school-age children living within the district.

The district receives $11,582 in state funding for each of its enrolled students. State funding and local property taxes make up the two major sources of revenue for the district’s operating budget. Ninety cents of every district dollar goes to employee compensation, including wages, benefits and retirement contributions.