Randi Peavy describes her family's struggle to get equal access for her daughter, Bailey.
Matthew Ray is officially the interim superintendent for the Omaha Public Schools and will receive a $325,000 salary for the job.
During a Monday meeting, the school board approved Ray’s employment contract, which begins July 1 and will end one day before a permanent superintendent starts.
Ray’s total compensation package will be worth $462,575, which includes a $12,000 travel stipend.
Cheryl Logan, the current superintendent, has a similar salary of $329,113, with a total compensation package of $516,618.
“This is a critical time for OPS. Our work for students and staff cannot be paused through a transition,” said board member Ricky Smith. “We must get this transition and larger superintendent search right.”
People are also reading…
Ray was selected by the school board to serve in an interim role at a Feb. 22 meeting. He began his career in the district teaching at Ashland Park-Robbins Elementary.
Because Ray will still be the deputy superintendent and board secretary until Logan leaves at the end of June, the district also will be paying him for transition services.
According to the contract, Ray will “provide services beyond the scope of his current roles to facilitate the transition from the current superintendent” from April 1 to June 30. This is work that will be assigned by the school board or Logan to help with a “seamless transition.”
Ray will receive $250 for each day he provides services, with a maximum payout of $15,500 for 62 days of work. He will also receive a $3,000 travel stipend.
Ray isn’t the only interim superintendent to be hired in the state recently.
Besides a few rural districts around Nebraska, the Grand Island Public Schools hired an interim superintendent in early January for a 17-month contract.
OPS is still in the early stages of its superintendent search process, so there is no solid timeline of when Ray’s tenure as interim will end. OPS board members have said they have a goal of selecting finalists for the superintendent job by January 2024.
Ray won’t be involved in the superintendent search because he is also allowed to apply for the permanent job.
The school board is scheduled to select a search firm to manage the superintendent search at its March 20 meeting. The board received proposals from six companies.
“Matt Ray has dedicated his entire career to the Omaha Public Schools,” Smith said. “He is uniquely qualified to lead us through this time.”
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.
