A review of Omaha Public Schools Board of Education meetings.

Dec. 14, 2023


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

#OPSProud Spotlight

National Merit Semi-Finalists

The #OPSProud Spotlight recognized National Merit Semi-Finalists Lachlan O'Keefe, Lucy Rawlinson and Brayden Simpson.

 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
  • Reading of Minutes
  • Approval of the Attached Contract and Terms of Service with Agile Sports Technologies (Doing Business As HUDL) to Provide Athletic and Activity Video Services at Benson, Bryan, Buena Vista, Burke, Central, North, Northwest, South, and Westview High Schools per RFP P015-23 for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 School Years ($144,000.00)
  • Approval to Award Bid No. 24-004 to Ray Martin, Inc. for OPS Benson West Elementary School Boiler Replacement Project, Summer of 2024 ($244,400.00)
  • Approval of Change Order No. 001 for Highland Elementary School: Capital Improvements and Renovation Project – 2018 Bond Program - (Deduct $11,359.21) Revised Total: $1,094,640.79
  • Approval of Change Order No. 002 for Bluestem Middle School: New Middle School Project – 2018 Bond Program - (Deduct $266,872.71) Revised Total: $42,934,037.29
  • Approval of Change Order No. 002 and Change Order No. 003 for the OPS – Board/Training Room Renovation by Downs Electric, Inc. (Add $52,150.80) Revised Total: $2,638,339.19
  • Approval of a Consulting Services Agreement with Boys Town National Community Support Services for Central High School through January 31, 2024 ($1,816.00)
  • Approval of Contract with Agencies for Special Education Services for the 2023-2024 School Year ($705,050.00)
  • Approval of Contract with Energy Center Omaha LLC to provide Steam and Chilled Water to Liberty Elementary School for November 2023 through November 2027 with Four Additional Four Year Terms
  • Approval of School Agreements with Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. for Yearbook Contracts for the 2024-2025 School Year ($179,638.00)


View the entire consent agenda.

Board of Education Information Items

Financial Update on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant Funds 

Chief Financial Officer Shane Rhian spoke to the Board about allocating Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds


Funds were allocated in three distributions.

  • ESSER I: $23.2 million
  • Funds were used by September 2022
  • ESSER II: $86.4 million
  • Funds were used by September 2023
  • ESSER III: $194.6 million
  • Funds are to be used by September 2024


Our district has implemented a multi-layered approach to ensure we spend money according to the four outlined pillars:

  • Pillar I – Academics
  • Pillar II – Student & Staff Well-Being
  • Pillar III – Infrastructure
  • Pillar IV – Family & Community Engagement


All ESSER II funds were spent by Sept. 30, 2023 and have been submitted to the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) for reimbursement.


ESSER III required that 20% of funds be spent on academic recovery. Our district currently projects that we will spend more than 40% on academic recovery.


Our district staff is reviewing opportunities to reallocate the projected surplus of $8.18 million from ESSER III. The surplus comes from cost savings on previous projections. Staff will bring any budget amendments to the Board in spring 2024. Our district anticipates spending all funds by the Sept. 30, 2024 deadline.

Next Omaha Public Schools Board of Education Meeting

The next Board meeting is Jan. 8, 2023. It will be a workshop tentatively scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Teacher Administrative Center.


Board of Education Agenda

To review previous Board of Education agendas, click here. If you need help accessing direct links, please access the entire Board of Education Agenda to view presentations and other documents.


How Can I Watch a Previous Board of Education Meeting?

Video from Board of Education meetings/workshops is most often available by noon the day after 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
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