Matt Blomstedt, who has served as Nebraska's education commissioner since 2014, announced Friday that he is retiring from the position.
The Nebraska Department of Education has announced that it has four finalists in the running to become the state’s education commissioner, including one local superintendent.
The finalists were announced Tuesday after applications for the job closed earlier this month. The candidates include Melissa Poloncic, superintendent of Douglas County West Community Schools; Lisa Coons, chief academic officer for the Tennessee Department of Education; Brian Maher, executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents; and Summer Stephens, superintendent for Churchill County School District in Fallon, Nevada.
“The board received a strong slate (of) applicants and while choosing finalists was not an easy task, we feel very confident in our selections,” said Patti Gubbels, State Board of Education president, in a press release. “Each finalist brings a unique perspective and extensive experience that will benefit our state.”
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Poloncic
Poloncic has led Douglas County West, located in Valley, Nebraska, since 2014, according to her resume. Before that role, she was a principal in the Millard Public Schools district for seven years.
Coons
Coons has been chief academic officer for the Tennessee Department of Education since June 2019, according to her resume. She was previously an official for Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Maher
Maher has been with the South Dakota Board of Regents since 2020 and was previously superintendent of the Sioux Falls School district. Maher also has ties to Nebraska — he spent time as superintendent of both the Kearney and Centennial school districts.
Stephens
Stephens also was recently named a finalist for the superintendent job in Bennington Public Schools before a different candidate was chosen. Though she currently is a superintendent in Nevada, she is originally from Nebraska, where she worked in the Bellevue and Norris school districts.
The comprehensive search for a new state education commissioner follows the January resignation of Matthew Blomstedt, who was in the position for nine years.
Deborah Frison, one of the state’s two deputy commissioners, is serving in his place until the new commissioner is hired.
All four candidates will be interviewed during a public State Board of Education meeting on March 30. The board will then select the state’s education commissioner on March 31.
Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of March 2023
A pedestrian walking south on 13th Street from Farnam Street uses an umbrella to shield themself from the snow on Thursday.
Graffiti covers the walls on the first floor of an old office building at Forrest Lawn Cemetery on Tuesday.
Platteview's Connor Millikan, right, and Omaha Skutt's Kyle Cannon watch Millikann's three-point basket going in during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Platteview's Connor Millikan, left, gets fouled by Omaha Skutt's Wyatt Archer while going for a loose ball during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Omaha Skutt's Justin Ferrin scores two points after a steal with less than a minute left against Platteview during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Bellevue West's Josiah Dotzler goes up for a shot against Millard North during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Millard North's Jacob Martin puts on his shoe after losing in the first half against Bellevue West during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Bellevue West's Steven Poulicek celebrates a three-point basket against Millard North during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Platteview's Connor Millikan, left, gets fouled by Omaha Skutt's Wyatt Archer while going for a loose ball during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Bellevue West's Eldon Turner attempts a three-point basket in front of Omaha Westside's Tate Odvody during a semifinals class A Nebraska state boys basketball game on Friday.
Bellevue West's Isaiah Wraggs-McMorrris shoots a basket in front of Omaha Westside's Caleb Mitchell, left, and Rickey Loftin, center, during a semifinals class A Nebraska state boys basketball game on Friday.
Gretna's Alex Wilcoxson watches from the floor as his last-second shot fails to go in, giving Millard North a victory during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball semifinals on Friday.
Bellevue West's Jaxon Stueve shoots two points in the second half against Lincoln North Star during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball tournament on Wednesday.
Omaha Westside's Caleb Mitchell goes up for a shot against Lincoln East's Christian Melessa during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball tournament on Wednesday.
Bellevue West's Josiah Dotzler celebrates a first-half dunk against Lincoln North Star during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball tournament on Wednesday.
OPS bus driver Yvonne Johnson poses for a portrait on a bus she decorates for the students on Tuesday.
The aftermath of a three-alarm fire at a warehouse located at 4508 S. 28th St. that contained shopping carts.
The aftermath of a three-alarm fire at a warehouse located at 4508 S. 28th St. damaged a nearby billboard.
The aftermath of a three-alarm fire at a warehouse located at 4508 S. 28th St. that contained shopping carts.
Omaha Skutt's Presley Douglas sits on the bench during a timeout after she injured her knee in the second half against Elkhorn North during the Class B championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday.
Elkhorn North's Mckenna Murphy, left, and Omaha Skutt's Peyton McCabe react differently to a possession call in the second half during the Class B championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday.
Elkhorn North celebrates their win over for the Class B championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday.
Oakland Craig's Chaney Nelson, left, and Adilen Rennerfeldt watch as Pender celebrates winning the Class C2 championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday. Rennerfeldt missed a three-point basket that would have tied the game in the closing seconds.
French Onion soup photographed at Le Bouillon.
Millard North's Brylee Nelsen (33) gets tangled up with Lincoln High's Dyvine Harris (33) and Josie Hilkemann (25) in the Millard North vs. Lincoln High girls basketball NSAA Class A semifinal in Lincoln on Friday.
Creighton's Baylor Scheierman dribbles the ball against Georgetown on Wednesday.
Artist Nathaniel Ruleaux leads a community project called "To See If I Could Go Home: A True History Paste-Up" at The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha on Thursday. His son, Luca, 3, walks away after handing him a print to demonstrate with. A member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Ruleaux often uses his art to bring attention and activism to Native stories. "I go in wanting to be punk and get people riled up, but the more I learn and get into it, the more I realize how heavy and traumatic a lot of these stories are," Ruleaux said. "But I use this as a chance for art as a form of therapy and healing." For this piece, Ruleaux asked members of the community to help paste images of his great-great grandfather, Nicholas Ruleau, who attended the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, over the phrase "Kill the Indian, Save the Man", a propagandist motto used by the school.
Rebecca Chen, of Omaha, helps in a community project lead by artist Nathaniel Ruleaux called "To See If I Could Go Home: A True History Paste-Up" at The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha on Thursday. A member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Ruleaux often uses his art to bring attention and activism to Native stories. "I go in wanting to be punk and get people riled up, but the more I learn and get into it, the more I realize how heavy and traumatic a lot of these stories are," Ruleaux said. "But I use this as a chance for art as a form of therapy and healing." For this piece, Ruleaux asked members of the community to help paste images of his great-great grandfather, Nicholas Ruleau, who attended the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, over the phrase "Kill the Indian, Save the Man", a propagandist motto used by the school.
The Millard South girls basketball starting five, from left, Cora Olsen, Mya Babbitt, JJ Jones, Khloe Lemon and Lexi Finkenbiner. Photographed at Millard South High School on Tuesday.
The City of Omaha on Monday will start a $32 million, 18-month project to widen 168th Street between West Center Road and Q Street. This will include the widening of the bridge over Zorinsky Lake.
A Common Goldeneye lands at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday.
Migratory birds fly past the rising sun at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday.
