MISSION — Students protested outside Nixyáawii Community School (NCS) on Thursday, March 19, holding signs opposing the administration’s decision to lay off math teacher Amanda Meyer.

Students staged a walkout around 11:30 a.m., leaving the building and gathering in front of the school. They voiced their support for Meyer and expressed frustration over the decision.

In an email, Principal Ryan Heinrich said that Meyer was part of a “reduction in force” decision. 

“Due to declining enrollment and projected student numbers, the Nixyáawii Community School Board, along with the (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation) Finance Department and administration, has made the difficult decision to implement a reduction in force for the 2026-27 school year,” Heinrich wrote. “The position selected for reduction was determined based on what responsibilities could be absorbed by remaining staff and was not based on employee performance.”

“Math is a core subject; we need it to graduate,” Eleanor Kenney, NCS freshman and organizer, said. “We don’t deserve half-baked plans or teachers who aren’t qualified to teach us math. She’s made learning really easy. Easy and fun.”

Shortly after the walkout began, students greeted Meyer with cheers and applause from the students. She appeared moved by the show of support for her and her three years of teaching at NCS.

“It feels like I’m leaving and they’re being set up for failure, and that’s really heartbreaking,” Meyer said, referring to the reduction decision.

NCS budget

Students raised budget concerns, saying that Heinrich’s salary and benefits account for roughly 8% of the school’s budget. 

According to public payroll records from the GovSalaries website, Heinrich earned $130,563 in 2024, about 8% higher than the average principal salary in Oregon.

Charter schools like NCS receive funding largely based on enrollment through the state’s public school financing system and have fewer funding sources than traditional public school districts. 

According to the NCS 2025 Audited Financial Statement, the school’s 2024–25 budget was estimated for 75 students, the same as the previous year, with a beginning fund balance of $680,000. Actual enrollment during the budget cycle averaged 82 students, while the beginning fund balance totaled $445,319. Total appropriations for the year reached roughly $1.84 million according to the NCS 2024-2025 Adopted Budget Document. 

The 2025–26 budget, also estimated for 75 students, sets total appropriations at roughly $1.72 million, a decrease of $120,000 from the previous year. 

NCS receives the majority of its revenue from the State School Fund (SSF) and the CTUIR, which provide 70.8% and 23.7% of total revenue, according to the audit report. 

Additionally, funding comes through state education programs and grants, including the Student Investment Act and High School Success, which support instruction, student service and career exploration. 

By contrast, according to the Oregon government website, traditional public school districts receive funding from multiple sources. State funding provides the largest share, which is about 50%, through the SSF. Local property taxes contribute roughly 40% of total funding and federal funding makes up around 10%, primarily supporting specialized programs like special education and school nutrition. 

This combination of funding sources provides district-run schools with more revenue per student, while charter schools must operate within a more limited budget.

Moving forward at NCS

Although Meyer expressed disappointment that the math program was being cut, remaining staff members will take over the math classes, regardless of their expertise.

“For whatever reason, math seems to be a subject that people just say, ‘Oh, I can’t do it. I’m not a math person.’” she said. “And so, to have a bunch of people that don’t necessarily feel that math is their strong suit, try and take over and teach math, especially higher-level classes, it worries me.”

With the change affecting her education, Kenney said she isn’t sure what to do next.

“Either I would have to stay here and take math classes taught by teachers who don’t really know exactly what they’re doing, or I could change schools, and that’s a big change,” Kenney said. 

Reflecting on her three years teaching at NCS, Meyer said she has collected many stories about her students and was amazed by their support during the walkout.

“There are a lot of kids that I’ve had for all of their high school math classes, and that’s been really awesome, to see them grow and develop,” she said. “I am blown away by the support. I would have bet my life none of this would have happened. This still does not quite feel believable.”

During the walkout, students distributed flyers calling for certified math teachers, budget decisions that prioritize core academic programs, a leadership structure with accountability measures and a complaint system that does not funnel all concerns through one person.

Rather than cutting staff, students are urging the school board to consider promoting two teachers to principal and vice-principal while allowing them to continue teaching part-time. With lower salaries for teachers in these roles, students said they believe the school could preserve enough of its budget to retain the positions it plans to eliminate.

Students staged their protest, aiming to remain calm, organized and focused to ensure their concerns about the loss of a certified math teacher and their futures at NCS were taken seriously.

Surrounded by students voicing their concerns about the school’s decisions, Meyer said she feels the future is in good hands.

As students filled the area with protest signs and messages chalked across the sidewalk, Meyer joined them, wearing a sign of her own. In orange chalk, she wrote: “Thank you, I love you all so much, I believe in you, I will hold you in my heart forever.”