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Meet Nick

Through my work in the community, I have gained an understanding of the hurdles many children face inside and outside the classroom. Through my work as an attorney and in business, I have gained experience analyzing budgets and finding solutions to tough problems. As a member of the Omaha community and as a father, I am invested in the success of OPS and every student that it serves.

I believe strongly that education should be something every child can count on to provide a strong foundation for success in life. In fact, it is the promise that we have made to them with our public education system.

Over the last four years, I have learned a lot about education in our city and our state – the underappreciated successes and the barriers to improvement. There are still many challenges to overcome before we can bring every student the supports they need to take advantage of the fantastic educational opportunities in our district. But over the last 18 months, I’ve seen OPS shift its focus toward improving outcomes through data-driven decision making, research-based practices, a renewed sense of accountability and caring, and strengthening relationships with parents, staff, and community.

Nebraska doesn’t have mountains or oceans — we have what we build. We’ve built solid public schools that serve both students who struggle to graduate and national merit scholars. Families like mine move back to Nebraska in large part because of high-quality public schools. As a board member, it’s my job to make sure that’s true for the next generation.

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Priorities

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Start at the Beginning

The data demonstrates that quality early childhood education can improve language and literacy skills, reduce hyperactive behavior in kindergarten, strengthen social skills, and have long-lasting effects on the education outcomes of students of all backgrounds. Nick will emphasize support for early childhood education to leverage the benefits of helping kids get off to the right start. But most kids will reach OPS as Kindergartners, and the most important thing we can do is make sure they are reading on grade level by 3rd grade. Nick will ensure a focus on literacy in Kindergarten through third grade.

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The Voice of Parents and Teachers

Parents and teachers provide unique and essential insight into our students’ experiences. Nick will always be available to listen to the concerns and experiences of parents but more importantly, Nick will promote processes and programs that allow parents to have a voice in their child’s education. Nick is also committed to having a direct line of communication with teachers, ensuring they receive the respect they deserve and the support from principals and district staff so that teachers can focus on teaching.

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Eye on the Prize

Our schools need to provide students a foundation for success in life. It’s a tall order. OPS students come to school with a wide variety of needs and goals. Nick will work to ensure OPS students have meaningful exposure to careers as they explore what comes and expanded access to coursework for students that are ready to get a jump start on college.

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Community Partnerships

There are a lot of businesses and organizations in Omaha with the resources and expertise to help OPS meet its goals. We need to leverage partnerships that expand before and after school learning opportunities, help us address the individual needs and interests of our students and their families, and broaden student’s exposure to a variety of career opportunities. The more partnerships we have with our schools, the more people will be invested in the success of OPS students.

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Good Governance

At its core, the responsibility of the OPS School Board is to provide oversight of the operations and finances of the district and to ensure accountability to parents, students, and taxpayers. As an attorney, advisor to businesses, and non-profit board member, Nick is no stranger to diving into the details and asking tough questions. But Nick will also promote civility and consensus-building on the board and a culture of open and honest feedback to OPS administrators.

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During the special session of the legislature this summer, I posted some thoughts about the bills being suggested. I expect we may see some similar bills in January. You can see the article I published here.