The Siletz Valley Charter School is facing a critical juncture as it grapples with sweeping leadership changes, severe budget cuts, and mounting uncertainty about its ability to open for the upcoming school year. In a candid interview with Oregon Coast Breaking News, Willie Woreman, former school board member, described a tumultuous period that saw the resignation of several board members, the removal of the superintendent, and the elimination of the vice principal position.

“I resigned from the school board and stepped away,” Woreman said. Citing frustration over the inability to enact meaningful change and a lack of distinction between the roles of school leadership and the board. “Our school board was kind of held accountable for things that are the responsibility of the leadership of the building.” The school’s struggles have been compounded by budget woes. “We started out with our budget being $600,000 to $800,000 over budget, and we ended up chipping things away until we got our budget back on track,” Woreman added.

The process required combining classes and cutting staff, with decisions based on teaching certifications and flexibility. Leadership instability has further complicated matters. After the superintendent and several board members departed, the school brought in Deborah Barnes, a longtime staff member, as interim superintendent. However, the search for permanent leadership continues, and the school has yet to hire a principal. “We have an interim superintendent… but we can’t even venture into hiring a principal, because it’s not the board’s job,” Woreman noted, emphasizing the board’s limited authority.

The school is also contending with the fallout from unsubmitted grant applications, which left vital programs unfunded until they got some much-needed help from the Siletz Tribe. “There were several grants… the paperwork was done, but they were never actually turned in,” Woreman said. The school’s charter equity grant was recently slashed by 50%, threatening the jobs of two to three more teachers.

Restoring academic benchmarks is another urgent priority. Woreman said, “When I first came on the school board, there were 10 areas of the school that were grossly below benchmark. We did a lot of work… but I just was told… that all 10 of those benchmarks are back down to below acceptable abilities.” The Lincoln County School District, which oversees the charter, has provided training and support but cannot directly intervene.

“The school has to fix itself… No one can come in and do it for us. It has to happen within our community,” Woreman suggested. With the start of the school year looming, the path forward remains uncertain. Woreman said, “I don’t see how the school could possibly move forward and expect to open the doors in September until those things are fixed,” citing the urgent need to fill leadership positions and restore stability. As the Siletz Valley Charter School community faces these daunting challenges, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the school can regroup and continue serving its students.