A review of Omaha Public Schools Board of Education meetings.
March 2, 2021

Following each Board of Education meeting, the Office of District Communications recaps the board meeting in the Board Digest.

If you are having trouble accessing direct links, please click here to view the full Board of Education Agenda with presentations and other documents.
#OPSProud School Spotlight
Nebraskans for the Arts (NFTA) NebraskARTS Award - Blackburn Alternative Program
The #OPSProud Spotlight features Blackburn Alternative Program. Blackburn students and staff won the Nebraskans for the Arts (NFTA) NebraskARTS Award. The award highlights a school who has supported and encouraged achievement in the media arts, visual arts, dance, music or theater. The Blackburn Alternative Program has been involved in projects all over the city and have worked together with groups such as the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Joslyn Museum and many more. Congratulations to Blackburn students and staff.
Board of Education Consent Agenda
Consent Agenda Items
Consent agenda items are packaged into one agenda item. They are often routine and garner very little discussion.

The consent agenda items were:
  • Staff Adjustments
  • Approval of Amendment No. 001 to the Agreement with The Weitz Company, LLC – South High Magnet School Capital Improvements & Renovation Project for 2018 Bond Program $5,847,191.00
  • Approval of Change Order No. 001 for the New Elementary School 1000 N. Fort Crook Rd. – 2018 Bond Program - (Add $87,385.15) Revised Total: $17,287,385.15
  • Approval for Lease Amendment No. 002 with United States Cellular Operating Company (USCOC) of Greater Iowa, Inc. for Cellular Antenna Lease - Benson High School
  • Renewal of Contract with Power School for Unified Talent Software Subscriptions from July 2021 to June 2022
  • Technical Correction to the Approved Master Agreement with the Omaha Education Association for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 School Years
  • To see the full consent agenda, click here.
Board of Education Action Items
Approval of the Report of the Legislative Committee Including Recommended Legislative Positions
An update was provided to the Board regarding where bills are currently in the Nebraska Legislature.
 
The Legislative Committee continues to review bills as they change throughout the legislative session. The committee provided updated recommendations for several bills based on their potential impact on Omaha Public Schools. The Board approved the following new positions.

  • LB 200: Creates a new high school graduation requirement that students must complete and submit the FAFSA application.
  • Change from Monitor with Research to Neutral (Page 12 of the Report)
  • LB 550: Changes the amount of times option enrollment is available for each student from once prior to graduation to 5 times prior to graduation.
  • Change from No Position to Oppose (Page 25 of the Report)
  • LB 651: Propose to terminate the enrollment option program on July 1, 2022.
  • Change from No Position to Monitor with Research (Page 30 of the Report)
  • LB 681: Proposes to expand the state's College Savings Plan to allow for savings plans and trusts to be created for students at elementary and secondary schools in addition to postsecondary education institutions and renames it the Education Savings Plan.
  • Change from No Position to Oppose (Page 32 of the Report)
  • LR 21CA: Constitutional amendment to require the State of Nebraska to pay all classroom expenses related to the operation of public elementary and secondary schools.
  • Change from No Position to Oppose (Page 33 of the Report)
 
The OPS Board Legislative Committee will continue to monitor bills and will review any adjustments. As adjustments to bills are made, the OPS position may change as well.
 
To view the bill summary, click here.
Board of Education Information Items
Updates to Policies 3090 and 7000
District Administration provided recommended changes to Policy 3090 and 7000. To review the proposed changes, click below.


The policies will be brought before the Board at a future meeting for the first reading.
Information on the Proposed High School Student Assignment Plan (SAP)
Dr. Anne MacFarland and Mr. Casey Hughes gave a review of the proposed High School Student Assignment Plan at last night's Board Meeting.

How was the plan developed?
Over the past 16 months the Student Assignment Plan Committee has been working towards a simple, efficient and equitable plan for all OPS students. The committee developed several options and gathered feedback from internal and external groups including students, parents and staff. The feedback from those groups helped to determine the proposal.

High School Choice
Choosing a high school that meets a student's individual needs is an important opportunity in Omaha Public Schools. We know that students and families make their high school choice based on a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, programming and transportation. The proposed plan takes this into account. No matter where a student lives, they will have the option to apply to any high school in Omaha Public Schools. The Student Assignment Plan will determine their transportation eligibility and priority in the high school choice process.

Neighborhood vs Non-Neighborhood Transportation
Our district currently has guidelines for transportation eligibility to both neighborhood and non-neighborhood schools.

  • Neighborhood transportation is for eligible students who attend their neighborhood (home) school.
  • The proposed plan would increase transportation eligibility at all high schools.
  • Instead of using distance, the proposed plan uses streets to identify transportation areas in each high school boundary.
  • Each transportation area identified is an area that is generally located farthest away from the school.
  • The proposed neighborhood transportation plan is below.

  • Non-neighborhood transportation is for students who attend a school other than their home (neighborhood) high school.
  • The proposed plan creates three partner zones each including three high schools.
  • One additional school has been identified as a partner school.
  • Students would have priority and be eligible for transportation at other schools in their partner zone and their home school's additional partner schools, also known as their "plus one school" (pictured below).
  • For example, students living in the North attendance area would be in the same zone as Burke and South. North High School's plus one school is 156th and Ida. Students in the North attendance area would have priority and be eligible for transportation to Burke, South or 156th and Ida.
  • The three partner zones and the plus one schools are listed below.
  • All three partner zones offer students access to diverse programming at high schools across the district.
  • The proposed non-neighborhood transportation plan is below.
Next Steps
It will be brought before the Board for final approval at a meeting in the future. Pending Board approval, the plan would go into effect in Aug. 2022 as the new high schools open.

The Student Assignment Plan committee has already begun and will continue to communicate with families who may be impacted by changes to the High School Student Assignment Plan.

If you would like to learn more about the high school Student Assignment Plan, click here. 

To view the presentation, click here.
Important Information for OPS Staff
CHI Health and Omaha Public Schools partner to honor teachers across the District
CHI Health wants nominations of Omaha Public Schools teachers changing the lives of students. Each month, they’ll surprise a Top Teacher nominee with a treat basket for the teachers' lounge and a personal gift card. CHI will draw winners on the last Friday of the month. CHI Health will select winners from three different grade levels across the District.
 
Anyone can nominate a Top Teacher at CHIhealth.com/TopTeachers.
Next OPS Board of Education Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Board Meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 15. It is tentatively scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

Board of Education Agenda
To review previous Board of Education agendas, click here. If you are having trouble accessing direct links, please access the full Board of Education Agenda to view presentations and other documents.

How Can I Watch a Previous Board of Education Meeting?
The video from the meeting will be available by Wednesday at noon following the meeting. The video can be viewed by clicking here.
Omaha Public Schools| 531-299-0220 | www.ops.org

Questions or feedback? Email us at: BoardDigest@ops.org