Educators rally at Eugene Nike store, demand higher taxes for schools

More than 170 Eugene School District 4J employees had already received layoff notices, and Springfield Public Schools was cutting positions too, when educators gathered outside the Nike store at 5th Street Market in downtown Eugene to push for higher taxes for schools.

The Saturday rally was part of the “Just Sign It” campaign against Nike, with organizers calling on billionaires, including Nike co-founder Phil Knight, to pay more to Oregon. The demonstration in Eugene was one of several coordinated events, with similar protests held in Portland and in Indonesia, underscoring that the campaign was aimed well beyond downtown shoppers passing the storefront on a busy weekend.

Organizers said they want Nike to repay roughly $2 billion in Oregon tax breaks tied to a 2012 tax agreement and to redirect that money toward public schools and better wages for contract factory workers. The campaign also pressed Nike and Knight to sign enforceable agreements covering wages and labor conditions for factory workers in South Asia, adding a labor-rights dimension to a fight that has been centered locally on school budgets.

The Eugene protest landed in the middle of a school-finance crisis that has already reshaped the region’s classrooms. Eugene 4J issued layoff notices to more than 170 employees, including over 100 licensed educators, to cover a $40 million budget shortfall for the coming school year. The Register-Guard reported 176 staff layoffs tied to balancing the 2026-27 budget, while Lookout Eugene-Springfield described up to 127 faculty layoffs and 28 previously approved administrative cuts as the district tried to close its deficit.

Springfield schools have been under similar strain. District leaders there faced a major shortfall earlier this year, and OPB and KLCC reported that Springfield Public Schools would eliminate 36 positions after a mid-year funding gap. Those cuts, along with Eugene’s, are likely to show up next school year in larger class sizes, fewer supports for students, and gaps in programs and staffing that families will notice quickly.

Miriam Mickelson, Eugene 4J’s superintendent, has been leading the budget-cut process as the district tries to finish the year and prepare for the next one. Board actions earlier in the year already signaled how severe the problem had become, including approval of layoffs in phases and authorization for deeper cuts to the 2026-27 budget.

Phil Knight’s political reach also helps explain why his name was front and center at the rally. OPB reported that Knight gave $1 million to Chris Dudley’s gubernatorial campaign in March 2026 and $3 million to a PAC supporting Oregon Republicans late last year. For educators trying to keep classrooms intact in Eugene and Springfield, the Nike store became a visible target for a fight that is now being driven by layoffs, budget cuts, and a shrinking sense of stability in Lane County schools.