Letter to the Board from Katherine Elstrom, Grandparent and Retired Educator

October 11, 2025

Dear Board Members of the Bandon School District,

My name is Katherine Elstrom, and I am a retired educator with grandchildren attending Bandon schools. My 40-year career in education includes: teaching and administration in private schools, 19 years serving McMinnville School District with 17 of those years as a classroom teacher at Wascher Elementary, teaching recreational programs, and working with teachers in homeschooling programs. My experience in education is extensive, having worked in various capacities. I have served on teacher hiring committees and mentored numerous teachers as they began their careers, led grade-level data teams and designed curriculum to improve student outcomes, written grants to support classroom teachers, and organized school-wide family learning events. 

Given my professional background, I would like to express my concern about the number of staff turnovers and resignations that Bandon School District has experienced under the leadership of your current superintendent. I urge you to look at this issue and the impact it is having on work environment and, ultimately, on your students and their education. 

Administrative Turnover

Business Manager ---

·      Since the hiring of your current superintendent in 2021, you have had three different business managers, a position that is responsible for crucial financial management and the stability of long-term operations. 

·      Even with qualified managers the high turnover in this critical position leads to errors in financial records, disruptions in services, and erodes trust in fiscal management. 

·      With every departure of your business manager there is a loss of institutional knowledge that gives the superintendent untethered power over the administrative staff. Without this institutional knowledge, each new business manager is pressured to submit to the directives of the superintendent in order to avoid delays, disruptions, and confrontations. With this submission your business manager becomes the superintendent’s scapegoat. 

Administrative Staffing and Financial Management ---

I suggest an in-depth review of administrative staffing positions and financial records under your current superintendent.

·      What administrator and administrative support staff positions have experienced turnover under the current superintendent? 

·      What positions have been added, dropped, or consolidated? 

·      Evaluate the factors contributing to the turnover of administrative positions under your current superintendent.

·      Review the hiring practices of your current superintendent. Does the superintendent have prior connections with applicants that give them an advantage over other applicants, and thereby demonstrating a bias in hiring? Does the superintendent overlook qualifications, experience, and other factors that impact the school district environment and overall management of district operations? 

·      Evaluate current positions and the workload they demand for regulatory and fiscal management.

·      Conduct a thorough professional review of financial records. Smaller schools may not have strong internal controls, allowing deceptive financial practices to go unnoticed. Budget line items can be presented in ways that do not give constituents a full understanding of how funds are used. Some of the most common forms of deceptive practices are use of a district credit card or travel expenses, with the most common perpetrators being superintendents, and administrators.

Teaching Staff Turnover

Through conversations with family and friends, concerns about a stable learning environment have been raised. It has been noted by a number of families that teachers are leaving Bandon School District, and enrollment is declining.

Support for teachers in their daily work impacts teacher retention, providing stability for students, families, and the community.  Teacher contract negotiations have undoubtedly brought issues into the community discourse. While low pay may be a reason for some teachers to leave their jobs, poor working conditions are often cited as the top reason for teachers to move elsewhere. As school board members you are ultimately responsible for the health and safety of Bandon School District, and its financial stability. 

The exodus of experienced teachers and teaching assistants is often a symptom of underlying problems within a school district’s leadership and the culture that develops from a toxic workplace environment.

It appears that there is a need for deeper analysis to provide clarity about what is happening in Bandon schools for the community. Reviewing statistical data on the number and timing of hires and departures of different employee positions within the district would be useful in determining trends.

Should such data validate cause for concern, the school board may need to form a committee to independently collect qualitative data, such as surveys and interviews of staff, that provides insight into the working conditions of various departments of the district.

Conditions within an educational organization that may be responsible for staff turnover can include: 

·      A leadership style that is autocratic, stifling enthusiasm and collaboration, or leadership that spews inconsistent decision-making, creating tension and instability.

·      Retaliatory practices like administrative leave, job transfer, and attempts to make targeted employees uncomfortable and resign,… actions which cultivate fear and a lack of trust.

·      Communication breakdowns and avoidance behaviors that damage trust and partnerships.

·      An absence of appreciation and encouragement from leadership and colleagues that drives out talented individuals.

Teacher turnover is known to negatively impact student achievement, discourages talented individuals, and is expensive. 

·      The departure of a teacher, especially mid-year, is disruptive to a student’s learning continuity and to staff collaboration. A revolving door of teaching staff can be unsettling and difficult for everyone - students, parents, and teachers - to adapt to. 

·      When experienced teachers leave a school district, deep community connections and student knowledge are lost, as well as a wealth of curriculum knowledge, and a treasury of best practices.

·      Replacing teachers is time consuming and costs school districts thousands of dollars per teacher. With efforts poured into recruitment, hiring, training, and mentoring, other educational priorities suffer. Placing teachers and other staff on administrative leave is costly, disrupts learning and operations, and creates a toxic work environment.

School Boards Work for the Community, Not the Superintendent

McMinnville School District was a leader in academic outcomes under the strong leadership of Maryalice Russell for 19 years. The superintendent that followed her was fired in April this year, several months short of serving four years in the position. Five of seven board members voted to terminate the superintendent without cause, after hearing concerns from former staff members about turnover in the district office, leadership and communication issues with staff across the district, and academic red flags. A board member stated that it was the board’s responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of students and staff. Another board member is quoted, “We can’t share a lot of things that would probably settle some of your thoughts around the decisions we may or may not take, but I feel that the information I have received from community and staff members has weighed heavily on my heart. It was not an easy decision.”

Community Trust

Community trust is a school district’s greatest resource. I urge the school board to listen to the parents and staff that come before you with their concerns. 

 Leadership can look very different on paper and in practice. There are administrators in education that impress and entertain school boards and community members with “eduspeak” and academic vocabulary, giving themselves the legitimacy and authority they need to hold onto their positions. Yet, in practice, their day-to-day management and staff relationships may not reflect the academic missions and visions they profess. 

 Parents and teaching staff can give you insights into the lived experiences of student learning and everyday working in Bandon schools. I urge you to listen to their concerns and make the difficult decisions required by you as a member of the school board. A thriving educational environment is a shared responsibility, with the school board making tough decisions that ensure the long-term success of district goals and student achievement.

 Yours in education,

Katherine Elstrom

Community trust is a school district's greatest resource because it is fundamental to student success, drives community support for initiatives, and fosters a collaborative environment. Strong trust improves student outcomes and attendance, helps districts secure funding, and attracts talented educators, which creates a cycle of success for both the schools and the wider community. 

Benefits of community trust

·       Improved student outcomes: 

A strong bond of trust among staff, students, and parents is linked to better student learning and performance. 

·       Community support: 

When trust is high, community members are more likely to support school initiatives, programs, and funding measures, such as bond measures. 

·       Enhanced problem-solving: 

Trust enables schools to work collaboratively with the community to develop creative solutions to local challenges. 

·       Attracting and retaining talent: 

A well-regarded school district that has strong community trust is more attractive to high-quality teachers and administrators. 

·       Increased enrollment and positive reputation: 

Trust is crucial for preventing declining enrollment and maintaining a positive image for the district. 

How to build community trust

·       Consistent communication: 

Regular and transparent communication with all stakeholders is key. 

·       Community involvement: 

Actively involve community members, including parents and local organizations, in decision-making processes. 

·       Building relationships: 

Create opportunities for meaningful interactions through events, mentoring programs, and partnerships. 

·       Showing respect and integrity: 

Build trust through respect, personal regard, competence, and integrity in all interactions. 

·       Demonstrating consistent action: 

Leadership must consistently model the behavior they want to see and follow through on commitments to reduce vulnerability and build confidence.