On her first day as superintendent, Miriam Mickelson welcomed incoming kindergarteners , and learned she was now responsible for Eugene School District 4J’s projected $30 million budget deficit.
Previously a superintendent in Washington state, Mickelson had prepared for the role by watching budget committee and school board meetings after the district hired her in the spring of 2025. Those meetings had warned of the deficit.
But once she arrived, it became clear how much she still needed to learn , Oregon’s state school funding rules, education laws, people’s names and the traditions unique to 4J. At the same time, she was making difficult decisions that would affect careers and livelihoods.
“I did not have the luxury to wait until after my first year, after I’d done some learning and connecting and networking and relationship-building,” Mickelson said. “I had to do all of those things my very first year.”
Despite those challenges, Mickelson was recognized on her annual review from 4J’s school board for her strong relationship-building and communication skills, which, according to the review, helped her lay a foundation of trust during a difficult year.
Now Mickelson is heading into the new school year with empathy for her staff and a renewed focus on student outcomes including attendance, student learning and graduation rates. Her strategy? Simplicity.
Earning, losing and reearning trust
In leadership literature , and through her own experiences , Mickelson has learned that transparent communication “early and often” is the best way to have difficult conversations while maintaining trust. She can now say with confidence that this is true.
Her biggest leadership test last year came from a $16.4 million budget forecasting error. While she could not say how she managed the situation within her staff due to personnel laws, she said she directed finance staff to be transparent about the error.
“We need to be honest and clear about what happened, why, take ownership and then learn from it, and concretely and specifically map out a way to address the issue and help ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” she said. “I will say confidently that we are working on that as an organization.”
The forecasting mistake was especially frustrating for Mickelson, because she and finance staff had intentionally shared budget information with the public early in the school year to reduce surprises.
Simplicity in uncertain times
At the Aug. 5 board meeting, Mickelson presented her goals for the year, a plan nicknamed “Focus 4J.” The three goals are: “Every student attends,” “Every student learns” and “Every student graduates.”
The three goals, she said, are aspirational but are “the work” of a school district and align with the state’s measures in Senate Bill 141, which increase scrutiny of districts’ progress. She also named the three pillars she sees as supporting the goals: culture and belonging, community engagement and financial responsibility.
Mickelson said that while she thinks the bill was well-intentioned, she’s frustrated by the new state requirements that come with little financial support amid statewide, historic budget cuts in large districts.
Mickelson said she’s focused on simplifying demands on staff as much as possible, so they can focus on teaching, getting kids to school and graduating students. She is directing principals to focus on high-impact tactics that are less complex and time-consuming to implement to achieve better results. Success will lie in the careful balance of staff and student needs.
“(It) is very much dependent on human connection without breaking the humans doing it,” she said.
There will be more decisions about budget cuts in the year ahead, but Mickelson will not yet name numbers. She said 4J’s budget conversations will begin in late October or early November this year, and may evolve due to two main factors that will influence next year’s budget: the district’s upcoming bargaining with its teachers union starting in the spring, and the Legislature’s 2027 session, which will determine school funding for the next two years.
Small wins
Through the marathon budget meetings of the year, Mickelson tried to set aside Fridays for school visits. She is still getting to know the more than 14,000 students of 4J, but when they recognize her, she gets excited.
“I feel like a VIP,” Mickelson said. “That was always very heartwarming.”
She also held onto kind words from staff and community members who affirmed how her leadership team was going about the budget process.
“I really appreciate those moments because in leadership, sometimes you get dehumanized,” she said. “So I get really moved and touched when a community member, a staff member, just stops to say, ‘This must be hard for you, but we appreciate it.'”
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