Springfield schools begin contract talks for interim superintendent pick
Springfield schools are keeping the next superintendent's name under wraps until June 22, leaving families to plan fall around a one-year interim leader.
Springfield Public Schools has chosen a path for its next superintendent, but the district is still withholding the name of the person who will lead it through the next school year. That delay matters in Springfield, where staff and families have spent months navigating leadership turnover, a legal dispute, and fresh scrutiny from state education officials.
On June 10, the Springfield School Board voted unanimously to begin contract negotiations for the district’s next superintendent after a roughly 90-minute executive session. The district said the selected leader will serve on a one-year interim contract and will be announced at the board’s June 22 meeting. The finalists were Michael Carter, superintendent of Lake County School District; Kimberlee Pelster, principal of Thurston High School; and John Stover, superintendent of Rockingham County Schools in North Carolina.
The board’s choice comes after a turbulent stretch for the district’s top office. Todd Hamilton resigned effective February 28 after nearly seven years as Springfield superintendent. Before that resignation, Hamilton and assistant superintendent Dave Collins filed a tort claim in December alleging whistleblower retaliation, defamation and unlawful employment practices. In the same period, board chair Heather Quaas-Annsa resigned on February 5, citing dysfunction and concern for her family’s safety. Jodi O’Mara, a retired Mapleton superintendent with more than 30 years in Oregon public education and 10 years as a superintendent, had been serving as acting superintendent after the board deadlocked several times in February over an appointment.
Springfield Public Schools said 16 people applied for the interim job, including seven from outside Oregon. That broad field suggests the board cast a wide net, but the final three candidates also reflect the district’s competing needs: district-level management experience in Carter and Stover, and a familiar internal leader in Pelster, who already works at Thurston High School. Whoever gets the job will inherit a district still trying to steady itself after months of public conflict.
The stakes are sharpened by the district’s latest numbers and state oversight. Springfield Public Schools reported 9,072 students in the 2025 to 26 school year and projected a decline of 178 students for 2026 to 27, a drop that could affect staffing and budgeting heading into fall. The district also said it received the Oregon Department of Education’s final order in Case No. 2024-18 regarding Division 22 standards compliance on May 15. For Springfield, the next superintendent is not just a personnel decision. It is a test of whether the district can restore confidence, communicate clearly, and give students and staff some stability before the new school year begins.
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