Omaha Public Schools

[Coyote]

Chronicle: Future of Omaha Public Schools Part 1

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Chronicle: Future of Omaha Public Schools Part 2

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Chronicle: Future of Omaha Public Schools Part 3

[Coyote]

Omaha Public Schools Board votes yes to stipend program for full and part-time staff



KMTV 3 News Now

While teachers are happy they're getting some support, but they're worried the board will use the stipend as a bandaid instead of addressing deeper issues.

[Coyote]

OPS Board of Education Approves Proposed Stipends for Staff as Teacher Shortage Continues

The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education has approved amendments to the district’s federal pandemic relief funds, including a proposal to put funds towards stipends for full-time staff and part-time staff in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school year.

At a nearly three-hour board meeting Monday night, board members discussed the proposed stipends, which would come from the district’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency (ESSER) funds. Charles Wakefield, chief operations officer at OPS, also answered board members’ questions ahead of the 8-1 vote to approve the amendment. Board member Marque Snow voted against the amendment, saying there should have been more time for community input on the proposal before an official vote.

[Coyote]

Omaha Public Schools welcoming 320 new teachers
for the fall following big faculty exodus




KMTV 3 News Now

OPS welcoming 320 new teachers for the fall. This comes after nearly 700 teachers were projected to leave.

[Coyote]

OPS teachers forced to move schools to fill staff shortages



Omaha World-Herald

70 OPS teachers received the news that they will have to pack up their things at their schools to be reassigned to another building as the district tries to address its staff shortage.

[ChadJK]

Ahh... the realization that they work for the district and not for a specific school. :/

Though, if they're being reassigned they're probably being sent to one of the schools that's the shortest on staff which may indicate they're being sent to one of the more problematic schools. So, while this may help with staffing shortages this year it feels like it may contribute to more staffing shortages next year.

[djc311]

I feel for these teachers - we've gone in circles with this topic before, and sure, teachers don't choose to be teachers (at the K-12 level) to make a lot of money. At some point in time, money does have to matter. And if you're not getting paid well and then are told to drive to SE Omaha when you've been teaching near 120th and Center for 10 years, then that sucks.

Combine that with the adder of some politicians thinking teachers should carry guns to protect themselves and students and I'd be a NO SHOW for that job.

Argue you all you want that teachers love to teach and that's all that matters - but I'm not getting paid $50k a year to deal with kids that want to kill one another (quite literally). It's a sad situation... and if they do expect teachers to be security guards then they should pay them at least as well as cops and firemen(women).

[Coyote]

OPS board approves raise and contract extension for superintendent

The superintendent of Nebraska’s largest school district received a raise and contract extension on Thursday. The Omaha Public Schools board approved a 4.85% raise and an employment contract through June 30, 2025, for Cheryl Logan during its meeting. “It has been and continues to be the honor of my career to serve here,” Logan said. Logan will receive $329,113 as her base salary for the 2022-23 school year, according to a pay transparency notice. Last year her salary was $313,890. District officials said Logan’s raise mirrors a 4.85% total compensation package increase teachers received for the 2022-23 school year. Starting teachers will receive an increase of $1,000 for the 2022-23 school year, bringing total salary to $44,000, according to the negotiated contract that was approved in 2021.

[djc311]

OPS board approves raise and contract extension for superintendent

The superintendent of Nebraska’s largest school district received a raise and contract extension on Thursday. The Omaha Public Schools board approved a 4.85% raise and an employment contract through June 30, 2025, for Cheryl Logan during its meeting. “It has been and continues to be the honor of my career to serve here,” Logan said. Logan will receive $329,113 as her base salary for the 2022-23 school year, according to a pay transparency notice. Last year her salary was $313,890. District officials said Logan’s raise mirrors a 4.85% total compensation package increase teachers received for the 2022-23 school year. Starting teachers will receive an increase of $1,000 for the 2022-23 school year, bringing total salary to $44,000, according to the negotiated contract that was approved in 2021.

Does the $44k starting salary include a self defense allowance, or is that completely separate?

[mistergutierrez]

The teacher’s contract was negotiated last year for two years, before inflation was a problem, the 4.85% increase was supposed to make up the freezes in salary in 2018.
If you compare contracts from 2016 and 2022, new teacher’s wage has increased 10%, inflation was 12.5 % until 2021, not including 2022. Right now teachers are losing around 10% of purchasing power since 2016.

[Uffda]

Starting teachers will receive an increase of $1,000 for the 2022-23 school year, bringing total salary to $44,000, according to the negotiated contract that was approved in 2021.

When I see posts about teachers are in teaching for the love of teaching, not for the money, it always makes me laugh.

My first year teaching salary was $11,600/ yr in Casper, WY - that was 1979. Using the CPI Inflation Calculator that is $45,707 in buying power today, so $44k for OPS teachers would not be keeping up. Oh and beginning pay in Casper next year is $47,202.

I retired 3 yrs ago and have had several younger teaching friends move to districts outside OPS or leave teaching altogether since then and one of the reasons is better pay. Although the last 2 years have really put a strain on them and some are burned out at a young age.

[Greg S]

Starting teachers will receive an increase of $1,000 for the 2022-23 school year, bringing total salary to $44,000, according to the negotiated contract that was approved in 2021.

When I see posts about teachers are in teaching for the love of teaching, not for the money, it always makes me laugh.

My first year teaching salary was $11,600/ yr in Casper, WY - that was 1979. Using the CPI Inflation Calculator that is $45,707 in buying power today, so $44k for OPS teachers would not be keeping up. Oh and beginning pay in Casper next year is $47,202.

I retired 3 yrs ago and have had several younger teaching friends move to districts outside OPS or leave teaching altogether since then and one of the reasons is better pay. Although the last 2 years have really put a strain on them and some are burned out at a young age.

Do you know what the starting pay is at each of the local districts and how they compare against each other?

[Uffda]

Starting teachers will receive an increase of $1,000 for the 2022-23 school year, bringing total salary to $44,000, according to the negotiated contract that was approved in 2021.

When I see posts about teachers are in teaching for the love of teaching, not for the money, it always makes me laugh.

My first year teaching salary was $11,600/ yr in Casper, WY - that was 1979. Using the CPI Inflation Calculator that is $45,707 in buying power today, so $44k for OPS teachers would not be keeping up. Oh and beginning pay in Casper next year is $47,202.

I retired 3 yrs ago and have had several younger teaching friends move to districts outside OPS or leave teaching altogether since then and one of the reasons is better pay. Although the last 2 years have really put a strain on them and some are burned out at a young age.

Do you know what the starting pay is at each of the local districts and how they compare against each other?

I don’t but they probably can be found online. Also if a teacher is moving to a new district their salary will also depend on how years of teaching credit the new district gives them and every district use to be different. When I started in OPS in the Fall of 2002, they gave me 10 yrs teaching credit - I had been teaching 21 years.

[Louie]

Starting teachers will receive an increase of $1,000 for the 2022-23 school year, bringing total salary to $44,000, according to the negotiated contract that was approved in 2021.

When I see posts about teachers are in teaching for the love of teaching, not for the money, it always makes me laugh.

My first year teaching salary was $11,600/ yr in Casper, WY - that was 1979. Using the CPI Inflation Calculator that is $45,707 in buying power today, so $44k for OPS teachers would not be keeping up. Oh and beginning pay in Casper next year is $47,202.

I retired 3 yrs ago and have had several younger teaching friends move to districts outside OPS or leave teaching altogether since then and one of the reasons is better pay. Although the last 2 years have really put a strain on them and some are burned out at a young age.

Do you know what the starting pay is at each of the local districts and how they compare against each other?

I don’t but they probably can be found online. Also if a teacher is moving to a new district their salary will also depend on how years of teaching credit the new district gives them and every district use to be different. When I started in OPS in the Fall of 2002, they gave me 10 yrs teaching credit - I had been teaching 21 years.

Why did they only honor 10 years of your career?

[Uffda]

Why did they only honor 10 years of your career?

Back then some school districts only gave 5 yrs experience so getting 10 was good. That might have changed these days with teacher shortage but I don’t know.

[ricko]

Why did they only honor 10 years of your career?

Back then some school districts only gave 5 yrs experience so getting 10 was good. That might have changed these days with teacher shortage but I don’t know.

You might find this hard to believe, but in the 1980’s, when I was toying with the idea of going back into teaching, the districts I looked at in Virginia only gave you 3, and the pay was abysmal. Glad I didn’t follow through with that idea. I’m not sure if it’s changed.

[Uffda]

Why did they only honor 10 years of your career?

Back then some school districts only gave 5 yrs experience so getting 10 was good. That might have changed these days with teacher shortage but I don’t know.

You might find this hard to believe, but in the 1980’s, when I was toying with the idea of going back into teaching, the districts I looked at in Virginia only gave you 3, and the pay was abysmal. Glad I didn’t follow through with that idea. I’m not sure if it’s changed.

Nope sounds about right. I started the Fall of 1979 and my monthly take home pay was $832/month. I had worked in a meat packing plant that summer and was taking home $350-400/week.

[Coyote]

Elkhorn announces retention and recruitment initiatives including $1,500 stipends



Omaha World-Herald

Elkhorn Public Schools announced several initiatives to address the ongoing teacher shortage, including $1,500 stipends, a substitute raise and an offer to buy back unused personal leave or sick days.

[Coyote]

June 2022 Drone: Bluestem Middle School

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Forest Station Elementary celebrates grand opening


Location:
1010 Childs Rd. W
Bellevue, NE 68147

[Coyote]

OPS celebrates grand opening of Forest Station Elementary

Families were welcomed into Forest Station Elementary on Tuesday by excited staff, school board members and a curious live owl. Omaha Public Schools hosted its third grand-opening ceremony of the summer for Forest Station, which is one of four new schools opening this month in the district. The three-floor facility features bright colors, open spaces and a name dedicated to its proximity to Fontenelle Forest and trains. The ceremony included the presentation of Orion, a live owl from Fontenelle Forest's raptor refuge to represent the school's mascot, the Owls.



Denise Lewis, director of programs at Fontenelle Forest, presents Orion, a live owl from the forest's raptor refuge, intended to represent Forest Station Elementary School's mascot, the Owls. The presentation of Orion took place during an open house Tuesday at the new OPS school in Bellevue.
LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

[Coyote]

OPS opens four new schools, three in south Omaha, to help alleviate overcrowding

[Coyote]

OPS opens four new schools, three in South Omaha, to help alleviate overcrowding
"There's about maybe a little under 100 students that came from Castelar (Elementary School) that have moved here to Pine, so that right there tells a lot on how that has alleviated Castelar," Varga says

The Omaha Public School district opened four new schools for the 2022-2023 school year. Three of them are located in South Omaha, including Pine Elementary School. Its principal, Adriana Vargas said the new school alleviates some of the neighborhood's congestion. Fourth-grade students at Pine are already settled into their classrooms and beginning to learn. "Let's open up that math bellwork. We're going to practice what we do every day in fourth grade," said the teacher. Vargas welcomes students to her new school with ease, Wednesday. "We have the advantage of starting with about half of our students," Vargas said which is about 300 students. That advantage is also a big help for other schools in the area.

"There's about maybe a little under 100 students that came from Castelar (Elementary School) that have moved here to Pine, so that right there tells a lot on how that has alleviated Castelar," Varga said. Another elementary school that is also opening for the first time Wednesday is making space for existing students. "Forest Station is taking a little bit more relief for our schools closer to Bellevue," OPS superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan said. Additional facilities mean more demand for teachers. Logan said some existing teachers have moved to the new schools. Vargas echoes that and said her school is fully staffed. "I have two teachers that are brand new and I would probably say 75 percent of them have either one year to 26 years of experience," Vargas said.

Still, shortages do linger nationwide for school staff. "Right now we are at a critical juncture because it's not just the teacher's shortage. It's an everything shortage," Logan said. Logan said the district is doing everything it can so students can be in school. She said some popular programming was able to be extended between facilities. 4 Some of the programs like the partnership with the Henry Doorly Zoo that are offered at other schools are still being provided at Pine.

[ChadJK]

Still, shortages do linger nationwide for school staff. "Right now we are at a critical juncture because it's not just the teacher's shortage. It's an everything shortage,"

Good point. Everyone keeps referring to it as a "teacher shortage," but in reality districts are ALSO short on custodial and maintenance staff, bus drivers, food service, and para's. Teachers get the headlines, but the other positions are critical too. I mean, what a clusterf*ck would it be if the busses stopped running?

[Coyote]

OPS proposes budget for 2022-23, plans to increase spending

At a hearing Thursday evening, the district walked through its 2022-23 budget proposal, which increases spending by $20 million.

[Coyote]

OPS approves $710M budget for 2022-2023
A feel-good part of the meeting came with the presentation of the winners of the district’s Summer Reading Challenge.

The Omaha Public Schools board meeting lasted barely an hour, even with a short break to research a parliamentary question, as the main business at hand had been hashed out over recent months. By a margin of 6-0, with three members absent, Nebraska’s largest school district approved a $710 million dollar budget for the coming school year. “Tonight’s the culmination of a monthslong process with many, many hours of hard work by the staff here at OPS to craft a budget,” district chief financial officer Shane Rhian said. Rhian presented the budget in great detail on September 8, and that information has been online for public inspection since. There was no voiced opposition from the small gallery in attendance at the OPS Teacher Administration Center. The budget is increased by $20 million, up from $690 million to $710 million.

Rhian said most of the school’s budget goes to staff and teachers, 78%, in fact, for 2022-2023. That includes an 8% increase in staff salaries and benefits. There is also a small decrease in the district tax levy. “The proposed budget lowers our tax levy once again, as we have six of the past ten years,” OPS superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan said. “Financial accountability is a core priority of our strategic plan of action, budget development is a year-long process and it includes five-year projections as Mr. Rhian presented on September 8.” A feel-good part of the meeting came with the presentation of the winners of the district’s Summer Reading Challenge. Students from Edison Elementary amassed 336,374 minutes of summer reading, doubling their nearest competitors. They shared a healthy round of congratulatory fist bumps from the board.

[ArchStanton]

Hearing that Superintendent Cheryl Logan has resigned. Not sure of any more details beyond that.

[ita]

Hearing that Superintendent Cheryl Logan has resigned. Not sure of any more details beyond that.

That's not too surprising. She was previously looking at a superintendent search in VA and was quoted (https://omaha.com/news/local/education/ ... 564af.html) to say.

Logan informed members in March that she had been asked to apply for the position in Fairfax, according to the school board. The board said she was “considering taking the position if selected due to its proximity to her family.”

“It presented a unique opportunity to serve another exceptional school district near my husband, adult daughter and almost all of my extended family,” Logan said in an email sent to staff on Saturday.

Must be tough to be in that position by yourself, not even being with their spouse.

[Coyote]

OPS Superintendent Cheryl Logan announces resignation in June 2023

Cheryl Logan, superintendent of the Omaha Public Schools, announced her resignation Tuesday morning.

[Coyote]

Sneak peek of OPS' new middle school under construction

A tour of Bluestem Middle School still under construction at 5910 South 42nd Street in Omaha on Friday, December 16, 2022. The new Omaha Public Schools middle school will open for students in fall 2023.

[Coyote]

Ralston Public Schools announce next superintendent will be Jason Buckingham

RALSTON, Neb — The Ralston school system announced its choice for the next district leader in a news release on Monday.

Read the release from RPS below:

The Ralston Public Schools Board of Education is pleased to announce Mr. Jason Buckingham as the new Superintendent of Ralston Public Schools. The Board voted unanimously at their meeting on Monday evening. Mr. Buckingham is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Business for Ralston Public Schools. He will begin work in his new position in Ralston on/about July 1st when the current Superintendent Dr. Mark Adler retires after this school year.

[Coyote]

Millard school funding vote to take place later this month

About 75,000 voters in the Millard school district will be receiving a ballot in the mail later this month. It’s a yes or no question about whether the district should be allowed to continue to levy taxes greater than what the current law allows. The district’s five-year permission to do that is expiring and it wants to continue to have that power for another five years. Signs all around the Millard school district urge people to “Vote Yes”. It’s not so much that the district wants more money but instead, it does not want to lose the funding it currently receives. The average home price in Millard is $300,000. That homeowner is now paying just under $120 in additional school taxes each year as the district is using 3.79 cents of its override authority. If voters say yes it could use up to 9 cents, which would increase the typical tax bill by $270 instead of $120.

[Coyote]

OPS picks interim superintendent



The Omaha Public School Board has picked an interim superintendent to replace retiring superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan. At its meeting Wednesday evening the board selected current Deputy Superintendent Matthew Ray. The official appointment is pending negotiations and Board approval of a contract with Ray, anticipated to happen this March. Dr. Logan announced last December she planned on stepping down at the end of this school year.

“We are grateful for Dr. Logan’s service and her support for a strong transition,” said Board of Education President Spencer Head. “We are very happy to work with Mr. Ray in this new role. He has devoted his entire career to the students, staff and families of Omaha Public Schools. Mr. Ray is uniquely qualified to lead through this time, following the roadmap in our Strategic Plan of Action.”

“Omaha Public Schools offers unmatched opportunities for students. I’ve seen it as a career-long staff member and parent of three district graduates,” said Mr. Ray. “I’m honored and humbled to carry forward our daily service and Strategic Plan of Action. We know the work ahead of us and we’re ready.”

Also at the meeting, the Board of Education Accountability Committee announced that six superintendent search firms submitted proposals to assist Omaha Public Schools in its comprehensive search for a permanent superintendent. Accountability Committee members are currently reviewing proposals and plan to select one firm this March to work to find a new permanent superintendent.

[Coyote]

Papillion La Vista Community School board to vote on $130 million bond

The Papillion La Vista Community School board is voting on a proposed bond, that includes nearly $130 million in projects. The district identified several buildings that could be included in the projects, including Papillion Middle School, La Vista Middle School and both high schools. In addition to the facility projects, there's land for a new elementary school, new middle school, technology infrastructure and a new building for the Young Adult Transition Program in the proposal.

“There's three broad priorities that the board has identified, in this potential bond, the first is land and facilities for future growth. We know that we will have a project student population that will be growing over the next few years, particularly at the elementary level,” said Superintendent Dr. Andy Rikli. “We know that we have some older buildings, particularly at the elementary level where the standard isn't quite up to par with some of our newer buildings. We would really like to address that, and perhaps, most importantly we have a number of safety and security projects that we would like to address with a possible bond.”

If approved, the issue would go to voters on May 9.

[Coyote]

OPS amends bus contract with STA,
approves Matthew Ray as interim superintendent
Omaha Public Schools makes it official, Matthew Ray will serve as interim superintendent.
The board also amends its contract with Student Transportation of America.

Omaha Public Schools made it official on Monday: Matthew Ray will serve as interim superintendent. The board also amended its contract with Student Transportation of America. As we've reported, the company continues to deal with staffing issues.

The board spent a lot of time talking about bus issues this school year — from drivers showing up late or not at all. The board hopes what they did will alleviate some of those problems. Omaha Public Schools hopes spending another $14 million will address busing issues.

[Coyote]

Omaha Public School Board approves $325,000 plus contract for interim superintendent

Omaha Public School Board approved a contract for $325,000 plus benefits for the Matt Rays, Deputy Superintendent, during Monday evening's meeting. Rays was announced as the interim superintendent in February after the announcement of Dr. Cheryl Logan's departure in December. His contract will take effect July 1. The school board is set to discuss what hiring firm to use to find a permanent superintendent on March 20.

[Coyote]

New OPS interim superintendent Matthew Ray to begin role July 1



Omaha Public School interim superintendent Matt Ray discusses how is preparing for the new role at Gifford Park Elementary School in Omaha on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

[Coyote]

Omaha Public Schools shows off renovations made through bond



Omaha Public Schools made renovations and upgrades through a bond program passed by voters. The bond program happened in two phases, first in 2014 when voters approved $421 million and again in 2018 with another $409 million.