July 18, 2025

Following each Board of Education meeting, District Communications provides a recap in the Board Digest.

Consent Agenda Items

Consent agenda items are packaged into one agenda item. They are often routine and garner very little discussion.

Items included:

• Approval of 7th and 8th Grade Athletic Insurance Coverage with Great American Insurance Group for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of Voluntary Student Accident Insurance with K&K and Axis for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of the Agreement with Leading Educators to Provide Professional Development Training and Assistance as Part of the Title I Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Grant
• Approval to Award Bid No. 25-011 to H2i Group, Inc. for Gymnasium Floor Replacement at Lewis and Clark Middle School
• Approval to Award Bid No. 25-017 to Cerris Systems North Central, Inc. for the OPS Blackburn VAV (Variable Air Volume) Boxes & HVAC Control Replacement Project, Winter of 2025
• Approval to Award Bid No. 25-018 to Yant Testing, Supply and Equipment for Fuel Pump Replacement and Software Updates
• Approval to Award Bid No. 25-023 to Greenberg’s Produce for Produce Products for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval to Award Bid No. 25-029 to Downs Electric Inc. for the OPS Mills – Electrical Service Replacement Project
• Approval of Change Order No. 002 for OPS Burke High Stadium Improvements Project by Downs Electric, Inc. Bid No. 24-056
• Approval of Change Order No. 02 for OPS Burke High Stadium Improvements Project by Eyman Plumbing, Inc. Bid No. 24-054
• Approval of Claims Report A - District Expenditure
• Approval of Claims Report B - Expenditures from Various Student Activity Funds for which the Board Serves as Custodian
• Approval of Claims Report C - Expenditures on behalf of Board Members or their Related Organizations
• Approval of Claims Report D - Payroll Expenditures
• Approval of Claims Report E - Payroll Estimated Expenditures
• Approval of Educational Service Unit No. 19 Claims - Expenditures to be Paid from Education Service Unit's Funds
• Committee on Claims Audit Approval
• Approval of the Consulting Agreement with Alfuth Enterprises, LLC to Provide Technical Support for Database Management for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of Contract for Bid No. 25-022 to 7er Group, LLC, (Doing Business As 7er Construction) for Lewis & Clark Middle School ACP Suite Improvements Project, Summer of 2025
• Approval of the Contract and Educational Administrator Pay Transparency Notice for Kanyon Chism, Ed.D. to Serve as Administrator of ESU #19 for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of Contracts with Agencies for Special Education Services for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of Data Protection Agreement and Terms and Conditions with Cengage to Purchase Multivariable Calculus in Print and Digital Format to Support Advanced High School Mathematics Instruction at Westview High for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval to Extend Licensing for Britannica School and Britannica Spanish from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026
• Approval of Head Start Continuation Grant Budget for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of the Master Lease Purchase Agreement to Purchase 8000 “OPS Elementary Success” Bundles, 8000 “OPS Secondary Success” Bundles for Student use in the 2025-2026 School Year and 500 “OPS Outstanding Teacher” Bundles or Devices to be for New-to-Omaha Public Schools Teacher in the 2025-2026 School Year using Apple Financing
• Approval of a One-Year Extension to the Agreement for Matthew Ray to Serve as Superintendent along with the applicable Superintendent Pay Transparency Notice
• Approval of a Permanent Right-of-Way Easement with the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) at Alfonza W. Davis Middle School
• Approval of Proposed Staffing Adjustments
• Approval to Purchase Additional ThinkCERCA Licenses for Elementary and Middle Level English Learners for the 2025-2026 through 2030-2031 School Years
• Approval to Renew Edmentum Credit Recovery Software for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of the Revised Statement of Understanding (SOU) with United Private Networks, LLC for the District’s Fiber Optic Wide Area Network (WAN) Services
• Approval of School Agreements with Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. for Yearbook Contracts for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of the Second Amendment to the Master Services Agreement between the District and United Way of the Midlands for the Operation of the Jobs for America’s Graduates Program for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of the Second Option Year of the Contract with Performance Foodservice - Omaha for Food and Paper Products for the 2025-2026 School Year
• Approval of Site Plan & Design for New Stadium at North High
• Approval of Surplus Inventory Items for Auction or Discard
• Letter in Support of Benson High School Foundation for Improvements to Gallagher Park
• Recommendation to Approve a Permanent Easement of Approximately 98 Square Feet at 5120 Maple Street (Benson High School) to the City of Omaha, Nebraska
• Voluntary Recognition of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 226 as the Collective Bargaining Representative of the District’s Social Workers

View the entire consent agenda.

Budget and Audit Committee Update

Committee Chair Gini Magnuson shared an update from the July 1 Budget and Audit Committee meeting. The committee reviewed current-year budget results and projections, discussed the development of the general fund budget for the upcoming school year and reviewed expenditures from federal grants.

The next Budget and Audit Committee meeting is scheduled for July 25.

Legislative Committee Update

The Board’s Legislative Committee Chair, Jane Erdenberger, updated the Board about its July 9 meeting, which included reviewing the recently concluded legislative session and initial planning for the year ahead.

At the Committee meeting, staff identified legislative impacts to current policies requiring updates for the 2025-26 school year. They were shared with the Policy Committee.

Staff also shared that Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen appointed board member Shavonna Holman, Ed.D., to serve on the state’s newly formed School Finance Commission. The commission was established through LB303 and includes one representative each from Omaha Public Schools and Lincoln Public Schools.

The committee was invited to participate in a preliminary meeting regarding Legislative Resolution 196, which focuses on student truancy.

The committee also discussed early plans for outreach to state senators this fall. Several senators have expressed interest in visiting individual schools and the Teacher Administrative Center.

Policy Committee Update

Committee Chair Nick Thielen shared an update from the July 10 meeting.

The committee discussed several policies included on the agenda under Action as first reading. 

As an update, the committee reviewed policy 7000 regarding purchasing and contracting. This policy states that the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education approves all spending for goods and services.

Approval to Add Signage to Recognize the Various Financial Donors that Contributed to the Burke High Stadium Project

The Board of Education approved the attached signage recognizing the individuals and organizations that made financial contributions to the Burke High Stadium Project.

The sign will be permanently installed on the west building. The signage and its installation were included in the overall project budget.

Approval of First Reading of Policy 5100, Policy 5102, Proposed Policy 5105, Policy 5301, Policy 5419, Policy 6300 and Policy 8342

Recommended updates from the Policy Committee:

• 5100 - Behavior Management
• 5102 - Eligibility for Students Who Participate in Extra-Curriculur Activities
• Proposed Policy 5105 - Use of Electronic Communication Devices
• 5301 - Dress Code and Grooming
• 5419 - Parent, Guardian, and/or Educational Decisionmaker Involvement and Student Privacy Protection Policy
• 6300 - Selection and Review of Instructional and Library Material
• 8342 - Designated Method of Giving Notice of Meetings

Board members approved the first readings of all the above policies and waived the second readings, moving them into effect.

Approval of the Updated Emergency Operation Plan for the Omaha Public Schools

Staff presented Omaha Public Schools updated Emergency Operation Plan, which promotes student and staff safety by outlining how our district prepares for and responds to threats, hazards and incidents. State statute requires Board approval of the Emergency Operation Plan.

As part of the presentation, staff outlined steps taken following the September 2024 shooting at Northwest High, reflecting our commitment to thoroughly reviewing the incident. The review, which began immediately after the incident, included meetings with school leaders, law enforcement partners, district staff and an independent school safety expert.

The review found that Omaha Public Schools has made strides in improving school safety, including our use of Standard Response Protocol and investment in trained school security staff. The review also identified the following areas for improvement:

• Continued, regular review and refinement of our Emergency Operations Plan.
• Increased training for students and staff on:
• Threat prevention
• Intervention
• Response
• Recovery

• Updating how we measure and manage behavioral threat assessments, applying our systematic, responsive approach to more effectively track patterns over time, allowing staff to intervene earlier and more effectively.

The full presentation is available here. The Board approved Omaha Public Schools' updated Emergency Operations Plan.

Approval of Nebraska's College and Career Ready Standards for Science

The Board approved adopting the updated Nebraska College and Career Standards for Science for grades K-12. The Nebraska Department of Education adopted new science standards in September 2024, part of a process that takes place every seven years.

Per state statute, the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education is required to adopt new content standards within one year of the state’s approval.

District staff will collaborate with teachers to support the implementation of the updated standards.

View the entire presentation here.

Next Omaha Public Schools Board of Education Meeting

A Board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2025. It is tentatively scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

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.

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