At a Monday meeting, the Bandon School Board dismissed six complaints against board members and Superintendent Shauna Schmerer, while sending two on for further investigation.

Four were dismissed because the alleged events fell outside the two-year timeline required by board policy. No reason was given for the dismissal of the other two, one of which was filed by former school board member Jon Sullivan.

The complaints allege the superintendent created a hostile work environment, and the board chair violated public meeting law, among other things.

Board Chair Angela Cardas said she takes full ownership of her mistakes.

“I can’t apologize more for — just, I had no idea. I’ve done this for eight years, and I never had a complaint up until now,” she said. “I don’t understand why a school board is compiled of just parents. We’re not experts. We’re not education experts. We’re here to help, and there’s not enough hours in the day to learn everything that there is for this.”

Two complaints will be forwarded to the district’s legal counsel and independent investigator Keith Ussery, who the board hired in January.

Those allegations include dishonest and manipulative communication by the superintendent, and the district harassing an employee with false accusations.

Some residents speaking at the meeting were upset about the board’s decision to dismiss many of the complaints.

“I do not understand why you are being so ineffective at the positions that you have been elected to,” said a woman identified as Rebecca. “You are now very aware that you have an employee with multiple instances of allegations of misconduct, and you appear to be inactive in response. It’s really concerning. And a lot of us are looking at this going, why are you here if you’re not going to do what you’ve been elected to do?”

“I’m just wondering why the school board seems so bent on protecting the superintendent from accountability for her poor leadership and her poor decisions,” said an unidentified woman during the meeting. “You can’t ignore the complaints out of existence.”

The board also approved Schmerer’s annual evaluation.

Some residents disliked that community input wasn’t part of that evaluation, although that is not required by the Oregon School Boards Association.

Cardas said the district will conduct a community-wide survey later but did not have time to include one in the evaluation process.

She read from a public summary of the evaluation.

“The board would like to see continuous growth with improving communication and transparency with staff and community, so leadership decisions are clearly understood,” she said. “[Schmerer] should also find ways to keep staff better informed on how board direction and data lead to organizational management decisions.”

Meanwhile, the district is waiting for a decision in an unfair labor practices complaint filed by the teacher’s union. A hearing with the state Employment Relations Board recently concluded.

Jane Vaughan is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/11/bandon-school-district-dismisses-complaints-two-for-investigation/