Co-Location Information Hub

What is Happening?

The Superintendent of the Eugene School District 4J is recommending to co-locate Camas Ridge Community School and Family School together at the Camas Ridge site beginning in September 2026. This would mean the two school communities share one building and one principal. This decision is part of the 4j Budget Reductions (Phase 3) to balance the district budget facing a $30 million deficit. 

  • Jan 8. Email - Read Here

    Jan 15 Email - Read Here


  • Notes from Superintendent’s Camas Ridge Family Meeting - 1/13 Read Here

  • Join Discussion Here

    https://groupme.com/

  • Add your voice to the conversation and fill out the form HERE


    • Family School, is a small public school-choice elementary school in the 4J district. 

    • Family school currently has ~111 students and Camas Ridge has ~260 students. 

    • Learn more about Family School here: https://family.4j.lane.edu/

How is the Camas Ridge Community Organization involved in the potential co-location process?

The CRCO’s Primary Role is to support those in our school community now and into the long-term future - this includes our staff, learners, and community.

CRCO WILL:

  • Amplify Parent Voices 

    • Make sure parent questions and comments are shared with District staff and decision makers.

    • Be an unbiased or neutral  information resource and repository for parents and community.

  • Center Student Experience

    • Promote a positive experience for students during transition.

  • Help Identify, Protect and Uphold Camas Ridge Values

    • Advocate for Camas Ridge staff, students and families, including our Life Skills program through any transition process if co-location is approved. 

CRCO is NOT:

  • A decision maker

  • Choosing sides - pro/anti co-location

Why would this recommendation be made?

As previously shared with the community, Eugene School District 4J is projecting an approximately $30 million budget shortfall for the 2026–27 school year. They must balance the budget (state law requires this), while planning for a long-term future that best supports all our kids.

  • This fiscal reality requires difficult choices about programs, staffing, and district operations. Before advancing those decisions, the district shared their priority to listen closely to those most impacted—our staff, families, students, and broader community.

  • Learn more about the budget reduction process and what they heard from the community and staff on the Eugene 4j Budget Website: https://www.4j.lane.edu/budget

How did we get to a potential co-location?

  • Based on the extreme budget constraints facing our school district the Eugene Superintendent, Dr. Mickelson originally recommended the closure of Family School due to its small size. 

  • However, upon that recommendation the Family School community spoke out about the unique needs of their student population and the creative ways that the school was able to support their students. Dr. Mickelson has shared that after listening and learning more she began to look into other solutions for preservation of the Family School program that could work within the current budget constraints and that led to the potential for co-location to be explored. 

  • While the District explored many buildings as options for co-location - due to the space available in the Camas Ridge building*, the location of Camas Ridge being near the current Family School location and the similar values of each school program, the Camas Ridge site became the best potential option. 

    *Currently the Camas Ridge catchment area has 317 eligible elementary school aged children, but not all are attending the school. Of the currently enrolled ~260 students, 200 are attending Camas Ridge as their neighborhood school and the remainder are attending Camas Ridge via school choice or our onsite Lifeskills program. The building was built to accommodate approx. 450 students.


What is the Timeline on the decision to co-locate?

  • The Superintendent will present the recommendation for co-location on January 21, 2026 to the School Board as part of the overall Phase 3 - Budget Reductions.

  • The School Board is scheduled to make a decision on the Phase 3 - Budget Reductions, which includes a decision on the co-location of Family School and Camas Ridge Community School at the Camas Ridge site on February 4, 2026. 

  • If the school board votes to approve co-location a transition committee will quickly be formed to guide the co-location. The committee will likely be made up of district staff, and parents, and staff from both schools. No details have been finalized or shared on this process yet - CRCO is tracking this closely. 

  • If approved by the School Board the two schools will begin co-locating at the Camas Ridge site in September 2026. 

How can I let the School Board or Superintendent know how I feel about this?

  • Speak at the Board Meeting on 1/21 or 2/4:

    • You can sign up to speak in person at a meeting by submitting a form by 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19. Up to 10 community members will be scheduled to provide public comment at each meeting, with a three-minute time limit per speaker. If more than 10 people request to speak, priority will be given to district residents who did not provide public comment during the previous two meetings, after which the selection of speakers will be determined randomly. 

    • The deadline to sign up to speak before the Feb. 4 meeting is Monday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m.