Springfield School Board Appoints Former Councilor Bob Brew in 3-1 Vote

Springfield Public Schools restored its board to five members Monday night when directors appointed Bob Brew to fill the seat left vacant by former chair Heather Quaas-Annsa, ending what Lookout Eugene-Springfield described as the board's "difficult four-member era."

The 3-1 vote came only after vice chair Amber Langworthy reversed her position following three gridlocked rounds of balloting. Langworthy joined chair Jonathan Light and Ken Kohl in voting yes; Nicole De Graff cast the lone dissenting vote. Acting superintendent Jodi O'Mara swore Brew in at the close of the March 9 meeting.

Brew was selected from a pool of 11 applicants. His appointment to Position 2 carries a term through June 30, 2027, and he has the option to run in a May 2027 special election for the unexpired remainder of Quaas-Annsa's term, which runs through June 2029.

The vacancy opened in February when Quaas-Annsa resigned citing threats against her and her family. She did not elaborate on the specifics of those threats. Her departure came amid a recall petition, a flurry of complaints, and mid-year layoffs, and followed the earlier resignation of superintendent Todd Hamilton. The district has been operating with a four-member board since.

Brew brings a lengthy record of public finance and education work to the role. He served in financial management positions for both the cities of Eugene and Springfield and worked with the Oregon Secretary of State's Business Services Division. He led the Oregon Student Access Commission in Eugene from 2012 to 2016, then served as deputy executive director of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission from 2016 to 2019. He also served briefly on the Springfield City Council after his 2012 election, resigning in 2014 after moving out of the ward, and has been a Springfield planning commissioner.

The appointment marked Brew's third attempt at a governance seat in the district. He ran in the 2025 Springfield Public Schools board election and lost to Langworthy, the same vice chair whose vote proved decisive Monday. He also applied to fill a vacancy on the Lane Community College Board of Directors, but that board deadlocked between Brew and one other candidate. Brew and his children attended Springfield Public Schools, and he currently has grandchildren enrolled in the district.

The board's next meeting is scheduled for April 13.