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Dec 24, 2023

'Disappointed, frustrated, hopeful': Public wants next OPS leader to transform district

Two OPS seniors reflect on high school: Lulu Sodeinde says she wouldn't be

Two OPS seniors reflect on high school: Lulu Sodeinde says she wouldn't be graduating without her teachers at Blackburn; Michelle Montenegro says South High set her on her future career path.

Parents and staff want the next superintendent of the Omaha Public Schools to take the district in a different direction.

The feedback was the school board's first glimpse into public opinion on district leadership and quality through a survey that debuted in May.

The survey was the board's initial step in its superintendent search timeline following Cheryl Logan's resignation, which will take place at the end of June. A second survey will be distributed in the fall to collect more feedback.

Roughly 2,000 people participated in the survey, with the majority of them being either a parent of a current student or an OPS staff member. The survey was available in multiple languages.

About 57% of participants said they want the district's next superintendent to be ready to take the district in a different direction. A third of participants said they want someone with the same education and philosophy who will make necessary changes.

Ten percent of people want a superintendent who will "stay the course" and continue the work of current administration.

Board member Jane Erdenberger said this feedback might change as different people take the survey in the fall.

"It's kind of lopsided in respects of who took the survey, though it's still useful to know that parents and staff have this as their answer," Erdenberger said.

When asked for one word to describe the district, the top three responses were disappointed, frustrated and hopeful. Other common responses were concerned, diverse, proud, struggling, good, worried and positive.

The survey points to the district's most critical issues as staff recruitment and retention, and academic outcomes. OPS has been dealing with low academic scores paired with crippling staff shortages that have been affecting transportation and classrooms since the pandemic began.

Mental health services and teacher quality both ranked third in top issues.

Participants said the top strengths of the district are diversity and inclusivity; caring and dedicated teachers and staff as well as an involved community; and opportunities for all students as well as strong curriculum and academics.

The survey also asked people to rank the best and worst qualities of OPS. The majority of qualities listed were either categorized as "good" or "fair," with a few receiving a lot of "poor" rankings. None of the qualities received many "excellent" responses from participants.

The qualities that received the most "poor" rankings included transparency and relationships with district staff members. The qualities that received the most "good" rankings included relationships with local organizations and families.

Board member Bri Full said it's interesting that transparency is ranked poor, while communication was mostly ranked good and fair.

"Communication is fine, but we’re not being transparent?" Full said. "I wonder if that's a flaw of the survey not being able to pick up (on) why they feel like we’re not being transparent if communication is doing well."

Most of the participants preferred a collaborative versus authoritative leadership style. People said the most valued traits of a great leader include being an effective communicator by creating strong school and community relations; being accountable and responsible for actions; being a trusted leader who values ethics and integrity; and being someone who leads by example through honest practices.

Participants also said the most important expertise the district's next superintendent needs to possess is the experience of being a teacher; knowledge of finance and operations; and understanding the dynamic and culture of OPS.

Also on Monday, the school board revised its superintendent search timeline after board members expressed their frustration over parts of the plan.

The search firm interviewed board members in May, rather than in September. The scheduled period for stakeholder meetings also was extended from three days to nearly two weeks, from Sept. 25 to Oct. 7, to allow more stakeholders to be included. A minimum of 10 stakeholder meetings will be open to the public.

The board still expects to find its next superintendent by February 2024. Matt Ray will be interim superintendent for the 2023-24 school year.

A dog peaks out of a window and watches as police investigate a shooting near 30th and Hamilton Streets on Wednesday.

O.NE Finest dancers perform during a hometown send-off for Terence "Bud" Crawford ahead of his fight with fellow welterweight world champion Errol Spence on July 29. Photographed at B&B Sports Academy in North Omaha on Saturday.

Julia McGuigan, facing, demonstrates a drawing technique with student Anahi Salazar during an "Urban Illustration" workshop at her studio and shop north of downtown Omaha on May 12.

A woman is visible distraught after a forklift struck a propane tank and caused an explosion and blew the garage doors off of a building owned by Omaha Public Schools located at 4301 N 30th St. a on Monday. One person was seriously injured.

The Omaha fire department investigate the scene after a forklift struck a propane tank and caused an explosion at 4301 N 30th St. a on Monday. One person was seriously injured.

Some of the leather bags from Jared Hall's 3am Luxury brand.

Omaha police investigate a shooting that injured one person near 30th and Hamilton Streets on Wednesday.

Omaha police and forensics investigators look for evidence as they investigate a shooting that injured one person near 30th and Hamilton Streets on Wednesday.

Police closed Hamilton Street near 30th to investigate a shooting early on Wednesday.

2023 All-Nebraska baseball team captains Millard South's Cam Kozeal, left, and Omaha Gross's Connor Capece pose for a portrait on Thursday.

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