Friends of Bandon School District

05/29/2026

And now we’re seeing yet another wave of resignations and openings in the district. The people who helped create this mess have either hidden behind anonymous websites or moved on to Deschutes County and Curry County, while the rest of us are still here dealing with the damage left behind in our schools and community.

Meanwhile, our students are the ones paying the price for the chaos, instability, turnover, and constant distractions from what should matter most: kids.

People in Bandon are asking a fair question: who else works a 9-month schedule, has extensive holidays and time off, earns more than $90,000 a year, and still leaves behind this level of dysfunction and instability?

This should have always been about students, not money, politics, personal agendas, or ego. Sadly, our schools and our community are now left dealing with the consequences. We hope those who signed the petitions bellow are going to step up and help in the wake of the mess they created.

05/12/2026

This entire situation started over money and power, not kids.

When the district proposed raises intended to provide long-term financial stability for teachers, the response from union leadership and a small circle of supporters was outrage, intimidation, and an attempt to silence anyone who disagreed. People who questioned the unions budget narrative were targeted, pushed aside, pressured to take leave, threatened with being run out of town, or treated like enemies simply for having a different perspective.

Remember when BEA president Jen Ells publicly claimed the district had a massive carryover and accused leadership of being irresponsible for even discussing potential budget shortfalls? Now districts all across Oregon are facing serious financial crises and cuts. The warnings she dismissed — and accused the district of fabricating — turned out to be very real.

And if you listened to the ULP hearing, you would have heard her clearly state—under penalty of perjury—that she does not have a Facebook account (see screenshot)

What’s most disappointing is that this stopped being about students a long time ago. Instead of honest collaboration and problem-solving, it became about protecting influence, controlling the conversation, and maintaining power.

Now we are seeing a mass exodus of school board members, educational assistants, teachers and administrators — not because of anything the district did, but because of a toxic environment created through union intimidation, division, and fear. When professionals no longer feel safe speaking honestly or disagreeing openly, people leave. That is exactly what is happening.

Our students, staff, and community deserve better than politics, fear tactics, and division.

05/11/2026

Tonight, let’s show up for the girls of Bandon High School. 💗

We’re encouraging everyone to wear pink and attend tonight’s school board meeting at 5:30 PM in the Ocean Crest Gym to show support for our students and stand together as a community.

Our students deserve to know they are valued, supported, believed, and never alone. Please help us pack the gym with positivity, pride, and unity.

📍 Ocean Crest Gym
🕠 5:30 PM
💗 Wear Pink

05/08/2026

“One bad apple spoils the barrel.”
It’s an old saying, but it still holds true today. Sometimes a small group of unhappy people—claiming they want to “fix” things—can spread negativity, division, and chaos that impacts an entire school community.

What’s most disappointing is when those creating the loudest disruption aren’t even deeply invested in the community itself and simply come here from other districts. It’s easy to criticize from the outside, but much harder to stay, serve, and work together through challenges for the good of students and staff.

Now the effects are being seen firsthand through mass resignations, fractured relationships, and growing instability. Sadly, many believe more resignations will follow. That’s often the result when negativity and division are allowed to spread unchecked. And in the end, the ones who continue to feel the greatest impact are the kids.

05/05/2026

The constant assault on the district has reached a breaking point. What was once criticism has turned into something far more personal and damaging, and the impact is now undeniable.

We are beginning to see the consequences in real time—first with the resignation of the elementary principal, and now with departures from district office staff. These are not isolated decisions; they are the result of sustained personal attacks and slander that have made it increasingly difficult for dedicated professionals to continue their work.

It should be clear to anyone paying attention: this is not the end, more resignations are not a possibility—they are an inevitability.

At some point, the question has to be asked: what kind of environment are we creating, and at what cost to our students and community?

04/24/2026

School funding challenges are not isolated to Bandon as some would have you believe, they are being felt across every corner of Oregon.

Districts of all sizes are facing significant budget shortfalls. In places like Portland Public Schools, those challenges have already led to a shortened school calendar, staff layoffs, and discussions about potential school closures. When these issues are widespread, they point to a systemic funding problem rather than failures within any single district.

Amid these ongoing challenges, our Bandon schools continue to persevere.

Despite ongoing criticisms of the school board and district employees, and even legal challenges from a small number of individuals, our Bandon schools remain focused on serving students and moving forward. Their continued stability is a reflection of dedicated staff, supportive families, and a community committed to its schools.

The work is not easy, especially in the current climate where personal vendettas are being settled at the expense of our kids, but it remains essential, and it continues every day.

School districts throughout Oregon are contending with major budget deficits, including Portland Public Schools. Facing a $50 million shortfall, the district has already shortened this year’s school calendar and is now considering school closures.

"This is not a Portland Public Schools issue,” Andrew Scott, who was first elected to the Portland Public Schools board in 2019 and served until last year, said. “If it was one district, you could say, ‘Oh something is going on in that district we need to look at.’ But it’s not. It’s very widespread through all corners of Oregon—which points to a systemic funding failure.”

Despite what some say is a dire financial situation, state legislators declined to tap into emergency education funding. Governor Tina Kotek said any increased funding needs to come with accountability measures for improved student outcomes, but educators and parents argue Oregon's school funding model is what's led to poor outcomes.

Full story by Abe Asher at the link below.

04/18/2026

We’re watching, in real time, what happens when wealth and power collide with decision-making. When people like Ann Kellogg and Zoe DeSurra combine influence, platforms, and money, it becomes less about local representation and more about control—about shaping outcomes to fit their own interests.

In schools, it doesn’t take billions of dollars—just a few people with the right connections, enough pressure, enough money, and an agenda. When individuals from outside our community try to steer decisions, push narratives, or override the voices of the people who actually live and work here, it undermines the very foundation of what public education is supposed to be.

Our schools belong to our students, our families, and our community—not to outside influence, not to the loudest voices, and not to those trying to leverage power to get their way.

We should be asking hard questions:
Who benefits from these decisions?
Whose voices are being amplified?
And just as important—whose voices are being ignored?

Public education only works when it remains rooted in the community it serves. When outside power starts calling the shots, everyone should be paying attention.

04/14/2026

The recent “community culture survey” should raise real concerns for our community, and with this this survey being presented at tonight’s board meeting, it is important that it be approached with caution.

There has been no clear indication that this survey was developed or vetted through a transparent or inclusive process. It appears to have been created by that same group of individuals outside of our community, without evidence of broader input or oversight. Additionally, there has been no explanation of how the raw data will be shared, analyzed, or protected. Any survey presented as representative of community sentiment should clearly outline how responses are handled and how participant identities are safeguarded.

There are also legitimate concerns about anonymity. Tools such as Google Forms are often perceived as anonymous, but that is not always the case, depending on how they are configured. In an environment where staff members have expressed fear of bullying, harassment, or retaliation from the union and their allies (see the December town hall meeting) even the perception that responses could be traced back to individuals can significantly influence how honestly people respond. When participants do not feel safe being candid, the results cannot be considered a reliable reflection of the true climate.

The design of the survey itself is also concerning. The questions appear to focus primarily on negative experiences, without offering balanced opportunities for respondents to share positive perspectives. This type of framing skews results and does not align with best practices for collecting objective, meaningful feedback. Additionally, sensitive concerns are being gathered through an informal process rather than through established, protected reporting systems designed to ensure confidentiality and appropriate follow-up.

Caution should also be used when interpreting the results. For example, citing a statistic such as “86%” without context raises important questions: 86% of how many respondents? 119 respondents, from where? How many people took it more than once? What safeguards were in place to prevent this? Who was included in the sample? Were responses verified to ensure they came from members of the school community? Without this information, such figures are just misleading and do not accurately represent the broader community’s experience.

It is also important to recognize that when so many individuals already feel intimidated by the union and their allies, an informal survey of this nature can place them in a difficult position—balancing a desire to be honest with concerns about potential consequences. That dynamic alone can distort outcomes.

If the survey is presented as evidence that the community culture is overwhelmingly negative, that conclusion should be carefully scrutinized. A lack of positive responses does not mean positive experiences do not exist; it instead indicates that the process did not create a safe environment for people to share them.

Bandon Schools Deserve better and our community deserves processes that are transparent, inclusive, and protective of participants. Without those elements, there is a real risk of misrepresenting the reality of the schools and the experiences of those within them.

03/12/2026

Unfortunately, the same small handful of wealthy individuals who don’t live in our community continue to target our district in an effort to settle personal grudges. This manufactured outrage is meant to divide parents and educators, and it’s taking a toll on an already stretched-thin district budget. They are well-funded and seem willing to try to break the district just to get their way, while the vast majority of our community simply wants the focus back where it belongs—on students.

Families consistently show they care most about the real issues in our schools: student safety, supporting educators, and making sure every student has the opportunity to succeed.

Research shows that growing political attacks on schools are increasing community conflict and making it harder for educators to focus on what matters most—teaching and supporting students.

Bandon’s schools deserve better. Our focus should remain where it belongs: on our students, our educators, and the strength of our public schools.

03/10/2026

One thing that stood out about tonight’s board meeting was the willingness by some to treat the “BSD Do Better” website as fact while dismissing the information coming from the district’s leadership and elected board.

Much of what appears on the site seems to rely heavily on statements from a small group of disgruntled former employees. That’s one perspective—but it’s also an obviously biased one. If the goal is truly to inform the community, where are the multiple viewpoints, documentation, or verifiable facts?

We saw this same issue at the town hall meeting in December. When many people in the room asked for proof or verification of the claims being made, none was provided. Instead of answering those questions, the meeting was shut down and community members were told they could not speak.

Another argument being pushed is that the district should have simply given in to legal pressure to make everything “go away.” That raises a simple question: if someone filed a lawsuit against you and your business that you believed was unjustified, would you simply pay it to make it disappear? Or would you defend yourself?

Public school districts have a responsibility to protect taxpayer resources. When legal claims are filed, the district has a duty to respond through the proper legal process. Automatically giving in to demands is not responsible stewardship of public funds.

It was suggested that if the superintendent had simply been placed on paid administrative leave, the controversy would disappear. In reality, that would still mean taxpayers paying both the superintendent and an interim replacement. That doesn’t magically reduce costs or resolve the underlying issues.

It’s also worth remembering that the school board is elected by the community to govern the district. Their responsibility is to follow policy and the law—not to respond to anonymous campaigns or pressure from a small number of loud voices.

At a time when public school funding is already stretched thin, it’s fair to ask whether constant complaints, accusations, and legal threats are really helping students. Schools should be focused on teaching kids, supporting staff, and serving the community—not constantly diverting time and resources to address the grievances of a few adults with an axe to grind.

Communities deserve open discussion and debate. But that discussion should be transparent and grounded in facts, not anonymous narratives built on selective claims. As George Orwell warned in Nineteen Eighty-Four, if a lie is repeated often enough, it can begin to be accepted as truth. Our schools—and more importantly our students—deserve better than misinformation and one-sided storytelling.