Springfield school board member Nicole De Graff plans to resign June 30

Nicole De Graff said she will resign from the Springfield School Board on June 30, opening a second board vacancy this year and adding another layer of instability to a district already dealing with layoffs, a superintendent departure and an interim leadership search.

De Graff made the announcement at the May 26 board meeting, right after an executive session that lasted about 50 minutes and centered on confidential complaints. She told the board, “my perspective of governance and risk is different,” before saying she would step away later this summer.

Her exit comes as Springfield Public Schools tries to steady itself after a turbulent winter and spring. On Jan. 12, the board approved a reduction in force tied to a $2.34 million budget shortfall, eliminating 27 mid-year full-time equivalent positions and the spending tied to 36 full-time mid-year positions. The cuts hit district-level operations, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools, and included 4.5 full-year positions that had never been filled.

The layoffs triggered a recall effort against three board members, including De Graff, though the campaign did not advance to a vote. Heather Quaas-Annsa resigned from the board on Feb. 5, citing dysfunction and safety concerns, leaving Springfield with an already-shaken board before De Graff’s departure was announced.

The district also lost Superintendent Todd Hamilton, who said on Feb. 13 that he would resign effective Feb. 28 after nearly seven years. Springfield Public Schools said Monday that its search for an interim superintendent had drawn 16 applicants, including seven from outside Oregon, and finalist interviews were scheduled for June 9.

That sequence of events matters for Springfield families, teachers and staff because school boards control budgets, staffing and district policy at a time when the district is still managing the fallout from cuts and turnover. With De Graff leaving June 30, board members will have one more seat to fill while trying to avoid fresh delays in decisions that affect classrooms, staffing and the district’s public messaging.

The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment on De Graff’s announcement. For Springfield schools, the challenge now is not just replacing one member, but doing so while the board is still working through the aftermath of a $2.34 million budget gap and a year of leadership changes that have kept the district under close watch across Lane County.