Community Update 12/21/25
Hello BSDB Community,
We learned yesterday that Board member Jon Sullivan resigned from the school board on Friday. It is deeply disturbing that district leadership has allowed – and perhaps even encouraged - things to escalate to the point that a public official has resigned out of fear for his personal safety and that of his family. We encourage you to read Sullivan’s resignation letter, included below.
If there is one take-home, it’s this: the Bandon School District has been corrupted by abuse of power. That abuse is going unchecked by the school board. The result? A culture of fear at BSD.
Last week a small handful of individuals took to social media, creating a new group called “Friends of Bandon School District.” Day after day that site has been a locus of hateful attacks on many people in the community, including Sullivan, teachers, a union representative and BSD families. The group seems comprised of known friends and supporters of the Superintendent, posts have been “liked” by the spouse of the Board Chair, and has given voice to the same individuals who insulted and attacked teachers and former BSD employees at the Town Hall on December 10th. This is bullying in its ugliest form and is part of the same pattern of intimidation at BSD that has silenced teachers, parents, staff, students and countless other members of this community for over four years.
Jon Sullivan was one of the few Board members who dared to ask for greater transparency, integrity and accountability as the situation at BSD has worsened. Not surprisingly, he became a target. Just like the teachers who asked for fair pay and were retaliated against with illegal involuntary transfers. Just like the former Director of Operations who took a stand for safety and adhering to federal law and was driven out of his job. Just like parents who have asked for answers and been marginalized, accused, and framed as political organizers, when all we want is a decent public education for our kids.
The moral of the story? If you ask questions that expose the failure of leadership at BSD, you will be punished.
More than ever this moment points to the need for change, both in the District Office and on the Board. Schools should be safe places. Bullying and threats should never be tolerated or condoned - anywhere, anytime - and certainly not by people in leadership positions.
It has become abundantly clear over these past many months that we – the concerned community that’s demanding accountability at BSD - are the vast majority. Many people are still afraid to speak up, but they come to us privately, they share their concerns, and they agree that this pattern has to stop at BSD. We will not stoop to the ugly, hateful tactics that certain individuals are currently using to scare and intimidate, but we will absolutely continue to demand better for BSD via every appropriate and legal channel that exists. Thank you for standing with us.
Take Action:
1. Share this email with your friends, neighbors and family.
2. Consider applying for the BSD Board to fill Jon Sullivan's vacant seat.
3. Attend the January Board meeting in person if you’re able, or watch the livestream on the Bandon School District YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@bandonschooldistrict3177 . Give public comment! Time: Monday, January 12th, 5:30 pm at the Oceancrest Gymnasium.
4. Send a letter to the school board expressing your concerns. Consider making the following requests:
1. That the Superintendent step-down.
2. That the board initiate a third-party, comprehensive investigation into the Superintendent, not an inquiry.
3. That both Chair Cardas and Board member Hutchens recuse themselves fully from all aspects of the investigation and any votes or deliberations pertaining to the Superintendent.
4. That the Superintendent be placed on immediate administrative leave to prevent interference with the investigation process.
Be sure to send your email to ALL school board members (you can copy and paste their addresses below into the “to” field of your email).
cgant@bandon.k12.or.us
mlane@bandon.k12.or.us
cpowers@bandon.k12.or.us
akimball@bandon.k12.or.us
acardas@bandon.k12.or.us
bhutchens@bandon.k12.or.us
-The Mom's and Dad's of Bandon Schools Deserve Better
Jon Sullivan’s Resignation Letter, posted to Facebook on Friday, December 19th:
I am resigning from my position as a School Board Member effective immediately. I joined the School Board in September 2024 at the urging of people in this community; it was not something I sought out and I never held any aspirations to work in government. As a parent with two children in the school district I have cared deeply about our schools and their success. And like most school board members, the experience of doing this job since May 2025 has not been easy.
During this time, I have been targeted by people inside and outside the district over a period of months going back to June of this year. False accusations have been raised against both me and my family - including my daughter, a 7th grader at Harbor Lights when the accusation was made. I raised my concerns about these interactions in writing to two Board Chairs for support with navigating this situation and received none. I have had board members engage unprofessionally with me both verbally and in writing; at times making false accusations to me directly and at times repeating the same false accusations made by others, again with no proof. Despite this I have not once made any public comments or statements about my experience on the board as I was worried it would add to the tensions that have come to plague our district. A full report of these issues, with documentation, is being submitted to the board as an official complaint.
I want to be clear: the issues within our district are serious, pervasive, and will remain after my departure. The current response to our district’s parents and its workforce is not normal, nor is it healthy. With or without me on the school board these issues will still need to be addressed honestly and respectfully. Every school district in the state, Bandon included, will face serious decisions that need to be made in the coming years due to funding cuts at the state and federal level. Each day we do not address the issues that community members have been raising for months is a day that we can’t spend rebuilding the trust and mutual understanding between staff, district leadership, and community members that will be needed to survive difficult decisions that will need to be made in the years ahead.
I would also like to briefly address the allegations that have been made against me this week on social media. They are baseless, inaccurate, and have been presented without any evidence. What is real, though, is the escalating threat that appears to be focused on my family.
At this moment I must put my own and my family’s safety first. The escalating vitriol in this community is counter to our collective goals. It has negatively impacted my health and my family’s safety in real ways that I can no longer ignore.