Omaha World Herald wrote:The Millard school district has picked a site near 210th and Q Streets for its fourth comprehensive high school. That's about three miles west of Millard West High School - far out of the prospective reach of the Omaha Public Schools.
I'm all for Omaha annexing up the land, but OPS doesn't have a prayer in annexing the Millard Public Schools.
This time around maybe, but it is innevitable. It makes no sense to pay 15 administrative staffs when one could run all the schools and enjoy better economies of scale.
If you are worried about economies of scale, lets start will merging some of the tiny schools in western Nebraska before we talk about merging 2 of the largest school districts in the state and doing away with one of the best districts.
redfield wrote:I'm all for Omaha annexing up the land, but OPS doesn't have a prayer in annexing the Millard Public Schools.
This time around maybe, but it is innevitable. It makes no sense to pay 15 administrative staffs when one could run all the schools and enjoy better economies of scale.
I understand that we could save on administrative salaries by merging the district, but that's about all that it would do, and honestly, how much would that save? 1 million? That might be way off, but spread that over 50k students or how ever many there would be and that doesn't add up to much. OPS is selling this as a plan to provide better education to all the students in the area, but their plan will do nothing of the sort. If fact if the two districts merge it would raise the costs of educating our students, and OPS would in fact lose some federal funding because the racial makeup of the schools would include a higher percentage of whites. In my opinion, if it doesn't happen this time (and it doesn't look like it's going to happen because people in Omaha overwhelmingly do NOT support it, and more importantly those who enforce the laws do not support it) I don't belive that it will ever happen.
I'm pretty neutral on it really. I'm just saying it is inevitable.
I believe that it's only a matter of time before all of Douglas county is one municipality with one city administration, and one school district....and I'm not attempting to predict whether it will be better or worse. But, I do predict it will happen over the almighty dollar, not over which school district, or city services are better.
Omaha World Herald wrote:Ideally, Breed said, the district would build two more elementary schools, a second high school and a third middle school. The price tag: $90 million.
pkiphd... take a moment to include a few quotes when you post these links... thanks.
For OPS students and fans, a halftime ceremony dedicating Omaha Central's new gym was celebratory. But student-made "I love OPS" T-shirts and a statement by Susan A. Buffett, who donated the money for the facility, ruffled feathers in the Millard South section.
Buffett acknowledged the shirts - worn by cheerleaders, pom squad members, students and some staff members - in her comments.
"I love OPS, too," Buffett said. "And when 'one city, one school district' becomes a reality, I think everyone will understand what we're all so proud of."
Of course I assume pkiphd was frowning because Millard fans/administration in attendance, didn't like the display of OPS support.
I'd like to point out at more than one Millard North football game, I attended, where an OPS school was being hosted out at Buell... the scoreboard at points read simply 'OPS'. Millard certainly has certainly interjected it's own form of boosterism at these events.
