A review of Omaha Public Schools Board of Education meetings.

July 16, 2024


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

 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:

  • Approval of 7th and 8th Grade Athletic Insurance Coverage with Great American Insurance Group for the 2024-2025 School Year ($5,378.00)
  • Approval of Agreement for School-Based Mental Health and Counseling Services at Benson High with Project Harmony 2024 through 2029
  • Approval of Agreement with Kissel, Kohout, ES Associates Inc. to Continue to Serve as the District’s Lead Government Relations and Lobbying Representative in Lincoln, Nebraska ($8,000 per Month)
  • Approval of Agreement with Midland University to Extend Dual Enrollment Credit Opportunities to Omaha Public Schools Students for the 2024-2025 School Year
  • Approval of an Agreement with Newsela for the Use of Two Programs, Formative Gold and Formative Locked Browser, and Professional Development Services from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025 ($156,000.00)
  • Approval of Change Order No. 001 with First Wireless, Inc. for P003-24 Two-Way Digital Radios, Supporting Equipment, Services and Installation and Related Services for the District-Wide Upgrade to Emergency Two-Way Radios and Equipment for All Schools and Buildings needs in the Omaha Public Schools Add: $79,575.00 Revised Total: $6,630,446.00
  • Approval of Change Order No. 004 for Spring Lake Elementary School: Capital Improvements & Renovation Project – 2018 Bond Program - (Deduct $74,446.86) Revised Total: $8,657,650.99
  • Approval of Educational Service Unit No. 19 Claims - Expenditures to be Paid from Education Service Unit's Funds
  • Approval of Omaha School Employees Retirement System Claims - Expenditures to be paid from the OSERS's Funds
  • Committee on Claims Audit Approval 7/15/2024
  • Approval of Consulting Services Agreement with Empowering Student Leaders for Secondary Students in the THRIVE Leadership Club Programs from August 14, 2024 through May 21, 2025 ($56,924.00)
  • Approval of Contract with Agencies for Special Education Services for the 2024-2025 School Year ($3,700,781.00)
  • Approval of Head Start Continuation Grant and Budget for the 2024-2025 School Year
  • Approval of Proposed Staffing Adjustments
  • Approval of Service Agreement with Amergis Healthcare Staffing (Formerly Known as MAXIM Healthcare Staffing) for Contracted Registered Nurses at Various Schools for the 2024-2025 School Year
  • Approval of Service Agreement with EDU Healthcare for Contracted Registered Nurses at Various Schools for the 2024-2025 School Year
  • Approval of Settlement Agreement between the District and Michael J. Smith
  • Approval of the Agreement between the Omaha Education Association and the District Resolving the Grievance
  • Approval of the Contract and Educational Administrator Pay Transparency Notice for Kanyon Chism, Ed.D. to Serve as Administrator of ESU #19 for the 2024-2025 School Year
  • Approval of the Interlocal Agreement with the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties to Provide Three Literacy Instructional Coaches and One Early Literacy Community Facilitator for the 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 School Years ($1,162,292.25)
  • Approval of the Proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Maintenance and Crafts Division for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 School Years
  • Approval of Transfer of Assets for Accumulated Sick Leave 403B Post Retirement Benefits
  • Approval of Voluntary Student Accident Insurance with K&K and Nationwide Life for the 2024-2025 School Year (No cost to the District)
  • Approval to Award Bid No. 24-026 to Hiland Dairy Foods, LLC for Dairy Products for 2024-2025 School Year ($3,723,000.00)
  • Approval to Award Bid No.24-047 to Mid-States School Equipment Inc. for Cafeteria tables for the District’s Elementary, Middle Schools, and High School Cafeteria Student Areas ($99,584.00)
  • Approval to Award Bid No. 24-048 and Contract to Chief School Bus Services, Inc. for Augmented Student Transportation (Projected $1,438,000.00)
  • Approval to Award Bid No.24-058 to Truck Center Companies for two (2) Brand New Type C Wheelchair Buses ($245,500.00)
  • Approval to Award Bid No. 24-066 to Woodhouse Ford of Omaha, Inc. for eight (8) Brand New Medium Roof Vans ($401,320.00)
  • Approval to Award Bid No. 24-067 to AKRS Equipment Solutions for Brand New Tractors and Related Equipment ($241,502.27)
  • Approval to Award Bid No. 24-078 to Talacko Safety Solution and A Hug Away Healthcare, Inc. for Bleeding Control kits and First Aid Kits ($223,240.00)
  • Approval to Award RFP18-24 for ERP Consulting Services and Contract with AXIA Consulting, Inc. for the 2024-2025 School Year with three (3) additional one (1) year options ($1,584,000.00)
  • Approval to Award Woodhouse Ford of Omaha, Inc. for Bid No. 24-063 for ten (10) Brand New Eight or More Passenger Vehicles ($573,720.00)
  • Approval to purchase seven (7) additional Brand-new Commercial Mowers and related equipment from AKRS Equipment Solutions per Bid 24-044 ($323,182.30)
  • Approval to purchase additional Nine (9) Brand New Three-Quarter Ton 4x4 Pickup Trucks with Plows from Woodhouse Ford of Omaha, Inc. per Bid 24-057 ($491,256.00)
  • Approval to purchase Certiport Industry Certification Examinations, Licenses, and Training Materials to Support Business and Information Technology College & Career Academy and Pathway and Career and Technical Education Elective Course for the 2024-25 School Year ($171,248.00)
  • Approval to Purchase Comics Plus Database Subscription from LibraryPass, Inc. for K-12 Students from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025 ($49,587.70)
  • Approval to Renew our Five-Year Cisco Network Security Enterprise Licensing Agreement ($1,183,845.75)
  • Approval to Renew our Five-Year Cisco Phone Licensing Agreement ($1,752,944.75)


View the entire consent agenda.

Board of Education Information Items

Omaha Public Schools District 2022-23 Graduation and Dropout Report

Reflecting our commitment to continuous improvement and preparing all students for success, staff discussed the Class of 2023 graduation rate. Data for the Class of 2024 is still being reviewed. That graduation rate decreased by 6.3% over the past five years. Graduation rate gaps exist between groups of students based on socioeconomics, gender, race and language development. Going forward, our district will improve student engagement in classroom lessons, use on-track data and classroom visits to monitor progress and identify supports that may be needed, offer a robust collection of resources to support students as they learn the required material and avoid failing courses, deepen partnerships with families and our community and more. Schools and district teams have access to more “just-in-time” data, allowing staff to see whether individual students are on track for graduation. With that more complete picture, students benefit from tailored support when they need it. View the entire presentation here.

Student Behavior and Discipline

District staff reviewed data showing behavior incidents and interventions from the 2022-23 school year. Information from the 2023-24 school year is still being reviewed. Omaha Public Schools promotes welcoming, safe and supportive environments at each of our schools. In addition to teaching expectations and promoting positive behavior, the Student Code of Conduct outlines what steps may be taken following an incident. In the 2023-24 school year, staff participated in ongoing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) professional development. Through district-wide and individualized supports, preliminary data shows a drop in out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. Priorities in the 2024-25 school year include deeper student engagement in classroom lessons, strong systems of support and engagement with families and community partners. View the entire presentation here.

OSERS Ad-Hoc Committee Update

The Chair of the OSERS Ad-Hoc Committee provided an update to the Board of Education. The Omaha School Employees’ Retirement System (OSERS) manages retirement benefits for all full-time school employees. Day-to-day management of OSERS will transition to the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Board (PERB) on Sept. 1, 2024. The transition is part of a long-term effort to promote a strong and stable retirement system for the members it serves. Following a report by the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts, OSERS communicated with all plan members in July by US Mail. Members will receive a final communication from OSERS in August, after which communication will come from the PERB. OSERS will remain a separate retirement plan after the transition, and Omaha Public Schools will retain responsibility for funding the plan. More information is available at ops.org/retirement.

Board of Education Action Items

Approval of First Reading of Policies 5420 and 8272

The Board of Education Policy Committee recommends changes to the following district policies:


  • 5420 - Dating Violence
  • 8272 - Board Code of Ethics

Approval of Second Reading of Policies 2120, 4040, 4045, 8130, and 8231

The Board of Education Policy Committee recommends changes to the following district policies:


  • 2120 - Line of Authority
  • 4040 - Social Media Policy
  • 4045 - Expense Reimbursement (NEW)
  • 8130 - Annual Organizational Meeting
  • 8231 - Expense Reimbursement

Report of Student Fees and Waivers for the 2023-24 School Year and Recommendation to Waive all Student Activity Fees for Extra-Curricular Activities for 2024-25 

Chief Financial Officer Shane Rhian presented to the Board of Education regarding student fees


During the 2023-24 school year, our district allocated funds to each school based on student enrollment and grade levels served.


The Board of Education approved the continuation of the waiver of Student Activity Fees for the 2024-25 school year. This will support more equitable funding across our district. Schools will receive 75% of the total Student Activity Fee allocation at the beginning of the school year and 25% at the beginning of the second semester.

Next Omaha Public Schools Board of Education Meeting

The next Board meeting is Aug. 5, 2024. It is 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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