Jefferson County School District families heading into the new school year in the fall will encounter a trimmer district budget, but they won’t see teachers or staff walking out the door. Superintendent Jay Mathisen confirmed that the district is cutting approximately $2 million from its 2026–27 budget — roughly 10 percent of the general fund — through a combination of position reductions and departmental cuts, all achieved without involuntary layoffs.
Why the Cuts
The budget shortfall is driven primarily by two factors: declining student enrollment and changes to how Oregon funds public schools, particularly around poverty weighting for students with extra needs.
Under the state’s current formula, schools receive twice the standard per-student funding for each student enrolled in special education — but only for up to 11 percent of their student population. Jefferson County, like many rural districts, serves a higher proportion of students requiring special education services than that cap allows, leaving the district absorbing costs the state does not fully reimburse.
“We have one of the lowest models for funding special education in the country, and so those kinds of issues impact our overall revenue source,” said Bend-La Pine Superintendent Steven Cook, whose district faces similar pressures regionwide.
How the District Is Managing the Cuts
Mathisen said Jefferson County Schools is reducing between 16 and 18 positions district-wide, spread across employee groups. None of those reductions result in terminations; instead, the district is relying on attrition — positions vacated through retirement and voluntary departure — and reassigning staff to open roles at other schools.
“We’re doing a proportional cut across all of our departments. Pretty much everywhere takes a little bit of a cut,” Mathisen said.
Crucially, the district says it is protecting student-facing programs. Athletics, music, and other extracurricular activities are not on the chopping block for the coming year.
A Regional Pattern
Jefferson County is not navigating this alone. The Bend-La Pine School District cut approximately $7 million from its 2026–27 budget, while Redmond School District trimmed $3.5 million. All three districts managed to avoid layoffs through similar strategies of attrition and reallocation.
Education advocates have pointed to the need for the Oregon Legislature to revisit the school funding formula, particularly as rural districts with higher poverty rates and special education populations continue to be disproportionately affected by the current structure.
What Families Should Know
The 2026–27 school year in Jefferson County is scheduled to begin in late August. Parents with questions about specific school programs or staffing changes are encouraged to contact the Jefferson County School District office at 541-475-6192 or visit jcsd.k12.or.us for updated information as the fall term approaches.