Springfield, Oregon renovation project, completed at a cost of $3.1 million. There are 15 elementary, 4 middle, and 4 high schools in the Springfield School District, making it one of the largest in the state. The largest public high schools, by enrollment, are Thurston High School and Springfield High School. Pioneer Pacific College also has a campus in the Gateway area of Springfield. The city took third in the voting to choose one of the sixteen possible Springfields in the U.S. to host the premiere of "The Simpsons Movie." The show's creator, Oregon resident Matt Groening, sent a plaque to the city
Matt Groening that he feared viewers would "see it as nothing but a pathetic attempt to advertise "The Critic" at the expense of "The Simpsons"," and was concerned about the possible implication that he had created or produced "The Critic". He requested his name be taken off the episode. Groening is credited with writing or co-writing the episodes "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Telltale Head", "Colonel Homer" and "22 Short Films About Springfield", as well as "The Simpsons Movie", released in 2007. He has had several cameo appearances in the show, with a speaking role in the episode "My Big Fat Geek Wedding".