The Bethel School District is creating relevant, responsive, and joyful school communities where all students thrive. Utilizing accurate funding models that provide adequate resources should be a central focus for the 2025 Legislative session. Implementing stronger systems of accountability that demonstrate the impact of those resources on Oregon students is critically important to provide the citizens of Oregon with transparent and reliable information about school outcomes.

1. Accurate Funding for Schools

• Focus on real costs: We need a funding model that keeps up with rising costs. This would help Bethel schools secure millions more in funding, ensuring that our students have the resources they need to succeed. 
• No unfunded mandates: Any new requirements for schools should come with the funds to make them happen. Asking schools to do more without funding is unsustainable.
• Support academic and well-being needs: Funding decisions should consider not only academic success but also students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs.

2. Adequate Funding to Support Every Student

• Special Education Support: We need enough funding to support our students who qualify for Special Education supports. Providing full support to students with special needs is essential.
• High-Cost Disability Funds: Schools should be reimbursed for the extra costs of supporting students with high-cost disabilities.
• Inclusive Services: Consistent funding for regional services ensures our most vulnerable students—especially those with medical needs—get essential support.
• Summer Programs: Funding should be consistent to allow schools to offer high-quality, academically focused summer programs for students.

3. Accountability that Matters

• Better Testing Alternatives: Let’s move away from the Smarter Balanced assessments. We need testing options that give us timely, useful, and student-centered insights.
• Transparent Outcomes with a Scorecard: Oregon schools should publish outcomes in a scorecard format so parents and the public can easily see how schools are performing and compare them.

How Bethel community members and families can help

Use your voice to influence change and urge our local legislators to properly fund public education in Oregon! Send an email to our local representatives to advocate for accurate and adequate school funding. Feel free to use the draft email included below, or the summary of legislative priorities included above.

Here are a few local legislators that you could consider reaching out to. You can reach out to one or all of them.

Rep.JulieFahey@oregonlegislature.gov 

Sen.JamesManning@oregonlegislature.gov 

Rep.NancyNathanson@oregonlegislature.gov 

Sen.SaraGelser@oregonlegislature.gov   

Rep.JohnLively@oregonlegislature.gov 

Example email to share with legislators: 

Subject: Support Bethel School District Legislative Priorities for 2024-25

Specifically, I would like you to advocate for the following priorities that focus on accurate, adequate funding and accountability to help all our students thrive.

Dear Senator James Manning, Representative Julie Fahey, Representative Nancy Nathanson, Senator Sara Gelser Blouin and Representative John Lively

As a family in the Bethel School District in Eugene, Oregon, I am reaching out to ask for your support of our district’s 2024-25 legislative priorities and to advocate for proper funding of public education in Oregon. This issue affects me, my family, and my community because [HOW IT AFFECTS YOU]. I believe that this issue is important because [WHY IT IS IMPORTANT]. I hope that you will consider this information and advocate for better funding for our schools to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive.

1. Accurate Funding: We need a funding model that reflects rising costs, with no unfunded mandates, so that our schools can fully support students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.
2. Adequate Funding for Special Education: Fully fund support for students with disabilities and high-cost needs, ensure consistent funding for inclusive services, and provide reliable funding for summer programs to keep students engaged.
3. Accountability That Matters: We need alternatives to the Smarter Balanced assessment and a simple scorecard system for transparent school outcomes, helping families understand how schools are performing.

It is more critical than ever for our State Legislators to center the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students in our collective efforts to support every student equitably. 

Thank you for supporting our schools and ensuring that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address/Contact Information, if needed]

574 flags were aligned on the lawn in front of the Bethel School District Office on October 14th. They represent the 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. for Indigenous People’s Day. This is an annual tradition created by the Bethel Native Parent committee as an important way for us to recognize our relationship with our Native community.

CLICK HERE to see how Bethel’s first summer program for Native students was a success.

5,000 Bethel students are getting back to school.

Greeted with hugs and high-fives (and a few tears of …joy?) students started the new school year filled with excitement and energy. Some were also busy finding their way around.

Bethel kindergarteners are the Class of 2037. They get a gradual introduction to all-day school with the District’s Smart Start plan.

And students at Cascade Middle School are experiencing the thrill of a brand new school.

Keep up with individual school schedules and the school year calendar here.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Cascade Middle School will also be the debut of a beautiful Native American mural above the commons area in the new school.

The artist, Teak is from a tiny town in Alaska and is a member of the Clinket tribe.

He was selected to create a unique Native American-style mural that introduces culture, heritage and local flora and fauna to the new building. Cascade is built on land that was once home to Native Americans.

Teak’s design includes a water spirit in a lake, the Three Sisters mountains, camas flowers, a Great Blue Heron, dragonflies, geese and of course the school’s mascot, a cougar.

You can see Teak’s completed mural at the Cascade ribbon-cutting ceremony August 27th at 5:00.

Bethel School District is proud to welcome new administrators to the Bethel team, as well as familiar Bethel administrators to new positions for the coming school year.

Evan Rindy – Assistant Student Services Director 

Evan Rindy, who currently serves as the assistant principal at Shasta Middle School, has been hired to become the Assistant Student Serviced Director. We are thrilled for Evan to take on this role and believe his experience – both as an administrator and educator – as well as the passion he has for serving students, will be a perfect fit for our district team.

Evan has been an integral part of our Bethel team for a long time, serving most recently as the assistant principal at Shasta, an interim principal at Prairie Mountain, Principal at Clear Lake Elementary, as well as a principal for summer programming. Prior to his administrative roles, Evan was a special education teacher at Shasta for several years.

At the same time, we know that Evan has served as an integral part of the Shasta community for the last two years and will be missed! Evan will continue to serve as Shasta’s Assistant Principal through the end of the school year before transitioning to his new role.

Dan Hedberg: Secondary Director of Teaching and Learning

Beginning next school year, Dan will be working as Bethel’s Secondary Director of Teaching and Learning and will be in charge of instruction, assessment, and curriculum for our middle schools and high schools. 

We are thrilled to have Dan step into this position. The passion, leadership, and expertise that have made him an equity-centered and successful coach, teacher and administrator at WHS will now accelerate learning for all of our middle and high school students.

Alyssa Dodds – Willamette High Principal

Alyssa Dodds will be taking over as principal at Willamette High School beginning in the fall. She has served as the Meadow View School Principal for the past two years and has helped to implement strong systems both academically, socially and emotionally. In addition, she has worked to increase student safety and belonging in partnership with  staff, family, and community members. 

Prior to becoming principal at Meadow View, Mrs. Dodds served as an assistant principal at Willamette for three years. She also formerly worked in Springfield Public Schools as a district equity team facilitator, district instructional coach, and a high school language arts teacher at both Springfield and Thurston High Schools. We are so excited to welcome her to her back to Willamette in this new role. 

Heather Hiatt- Meadow View Principal

Heather Hiatt has been appointed as the next principal of Meadow View. We believe Heather will be an excellent addition to our school community and we are eager to welcome her to the Meadow View team.

Heather brings with her a wealth of experience in K-12 education. Currently serving as a special education teacher at César E. Chávez Elementary School in the Eugene School District , she has previously held roles as a middle school principal in Shoreline, Wash., and as a high school assistant principal in both Shoreline and Woodinville, Wash. Her background also includes teaching science at both the middle and high school levels.

One of Heather’s defining characteristics is her commitment to equity and inclusion in education. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to foster a culture of collaboration and ensure that all students have access to quality learning opportunities. Her dedication to student success and her passion for creating and maintaining a positive school climate makes her a great fit for our school.

Echo Groff  – Shasta Middle School Assistant Principal

Echo Groff was selected to serve as the next assistant principal of Shasta. We are thrilled to have her join the Shasta team and believe that she will make a significant impact.

Echo brings with her 17 years of experience as an educator in Bethel, where she has served in various roles including classroom teacher, reading specialist, high school summer school principal, and instructional coach. Known for her student-centered approach and commitment to equity, Echo is dedicated to implementing culturally responsive and research-based practices for all students.