Address
13020 Binney St
Age
51
Past Public Office, dates held
State Senator. District 8. 1999 to 2007
Marital Status
Married
Number of Children
2
Education
Associate Degree, Southeast Community College, 1984
BSBA, University of Nebraska Omaha, 1994
Creighton University School of Law, JD, 1997
Volunteer experience
Holy Name Housing Board of Directors
Concord Center Board Board of Directors
NeHII Board of Directors
Nebraska Power Review Board of Directors
1. early childhood development
2. make certain that all schools have appropriate resources
3. clearly set goals regarding expected student achievement and absolute transparency as to whether these goals are met.
mixed. i think teachers are short handed and standardized tests are a practicle way to get a sense of a student's achievement.
i think that it is too early to tell.
i believe that OPS does a good job preparing many of our kids for college, However, not all kids attend college. we should do more to impart practical skills to our kids to prepare them for a trade when college is not for them. we should consider a partnership with Metro Community College so that our high schoolers can learn a trade.
Our voter turnout is at an all time low. we should do more to get our kids excited about the democratic process. increased participation at all levels (city council, county board, state legislature) by our students could very well get them enthused about the process. I ran for the Legislature largely due to a Junior High School sponsored field trip to the state capitol.
i am not certain what the optimal size is. while the Board has been at the current size for a century, it is appropriate to review board makeup periodically. Given recent events, it seems appropriate that a review should take place sooner rather than later.
Address
15268 Locust St
Age
42
Past Public Office, dates held
Board Member SID 370, Picotte PTA President
Marital Status
Married
Number of Children
2
Education
Business Degree, University of Nebraska at Kearney, MBA, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Nebraska Teaching Certificate
Volunteer experience
YMCA Volleyball Coach, Secretary of Homeowners Association
1. Ensuring that instruction is consistently clear, organized and effective.
2. Engaging family and community.
3. Ensuring positive student social skills.
School districts need a balance of standardized testing. Standardized testing is useful when there is analysis of data, but we want to be careful of the overuse of testing. Also, teaching to the test dampers the creativity, imagination and inspiration of a wide ranging curriculum.
The Learning Community will aid the Omaha Public School District. Douglas and Sarpy County dollars will be distributed in an equitable way to serve the needs of the Omaha community children.
Non college students need a strong foundation in reading, writing and math. Technical instruction can be enhanced to reach student needs. The Omaha Public School district provides job-oriented education for non-college-bound students. One example is the program that allows students to earn a Nursing Aide Certification.
Schools can use creativity and inspiration to show students the importance in participating in Democracy. I can remember my Burke High School American Government teacher’s enthusiasm for Democracy! He inspired us to care about the duties of public office.
Subdistrict 12 has over 18,000 registered voters. If the OPS board is changed to five board members, each board member could represent over 40,000 registered voters. This representation would be more than a state senator. Having five board members would not be an optimal size for a school district with an operational budget of $468,900,000. The optimal size is 12.
