Parent Alex Gates questioned why OPS needed to implements its new programs so quickly and with little explanation. "Rushing this through in a pandemic is irresponsible, reckless and unfair."
Omaha school board member Tracy Casady listens to a speaker at Thursday’s meeting. Several parents voiced concerns about the Omaha Public Schools’ plan to implement new academy programs and career pathways.
“Who will actually see this plan through?” parent Kimberly Shaneyfelt asked the school board. “If you make broad changes to all the schools, you have no ability to go back if it does not work.”
Omaha Public Schools parents said plans to implement academies and pathways at the district’s high schools have been rushed and formed without enough community feedback.
Five parents shared their concerns with the school board at a meeting Thursday night. The board will discuss changes coming to the high schools during a board workshop Monday night.
Parent Kimberly Shaneyfelt said the changes are sweeping and lasting.
“Who will actually see this plan through?” she asked. “If you make broad changes to all the schools, you have no ability to go back if it does not work.”
Several parents questioned why the changes were being implemented during a pandemic, when families are tired and checked out.
“To me, it appears that these changes are quietly being stitched in while everyone else is exhausted with all the other challenges of the last 11 months,” said Chris Pellman, an OPS graduate and parent.
Other parents said fundamental questions like how much the programs will cost and why the programs are needed have not been answered.
“How does an academy/pathway model that pigeonholes that student and allows them to only make one change benefit the student?” Pellman asked.
This fall, OPS will begin rolling out specific academy programs or career pathways at each of the district’s seven high schools. The programs will also be implemented at the district’s two new high schools, which will open in the 2022-23 school year.
According to definitions provided by OPS, academies are small learning communities with a career focus. Pathways are a series of four or more classes focused on a group of related careers.
Starting next year, freshmen will take a freshman seminar course to explore their interests and the courses they may want to take.
After their freshman year, students will select an academy or a pathway at their school.
Students will still take core classes such as English, math, social studies and science.
OPS officials have said all of the district’s high schools will be on a block schedule starting next school year. Several parents said that was also a concern.
OPS held several virtual question-and-answer sessions about the changes coming to the high schools, but several parents said that their questions were not answered and that the sessions felt scripted.
As part of those virtual presentations, district officials said a survey was sent out in July to parents, teachers, community partners and students to gather feedback on the changes. The district said it also created a “branding team” with district leadership, school leadership, teachers, parents, community partners and students.
“I personally do not recall receiving any such survey,” said Gretchen Hooper, an OPS parent. “I have heard feedback from many other parents regarding the lack of communication and input, and I have yet to find someone who has said they received the survey.”
Alex Gates, an OPS parent, said it’s exciting that OPS is looking at bold and innovative ways to teach students, but he’s concerned with the timing of the academies and pathways.
Gates said there seems to be a manufactured urgency about needing to implement the programs at the high schools next year. He said that the plans have not been explained well and that there’s a lot of confusion among parents.
“And unless we thoughtfully approach this massive change to our high schools collaboratively, it too will feel like something that exists to look good on paper but falls short in practice,” Gates said. “We deserve better. Rushing this through in a pandemic is irresponsible, reckless and unfair.”
Our best Omaha staff photos of February 2021
Kearney's Richard Harbols dives in the boys Nebraska state dive competition on Thursday.
Lincoln Southeast's Katerina Hoffman competes in the NSAA state diving championship on Thursday.
North Platte's Jonathan Brouillette is reflected in the swimming pool as he competes in the NSAA boys state diving championship on Thursday.
An ice jam forms on the Platte River west of the Highway 77 bridge near Fremont on Monday. Observers in eastern Nebraska will be looking out for signs of flooding as the weather warms up. “We’re just waiting to see how the snow will melt over the next couple of days,” said hydrologist David Pearson of the National Weather Service office in Valley. “We’ll be watching closely.”
Omaha Skutt's Adam Kruse, left, and Gothenberg's Abe Mendez, right, wrestle during a Class B 138 pound match.
Millard South's Joel Adams celebrates after defeating North Platte's Darian Diaz during the Class A 138 pound championship match.
A few snowflakes fell in Omaha on Wednesday.
Creighton's Greg McDermott congratulates Denzel Mahoney on a made 3-pointer against Villanova.
Gretna's John Weed, facing, and Millard South's Antrell Taylor compete in the first round of the 160 pound, Class A state wrestling tournament in Omaha on Wednesday.
Frost collects on a sheet of ice in a parking lot in South Omaha on Tuesday. Omaha set a record low on Tuesday, dipping to 23 degrees below zero.
PJ Smith, an administrator at Grand Island Northwest, helps set up mats on Tuesday for the state wrestling tournament at the CHI Health Center. The tournament starts today and runs through Saturday. Read more in Sports.
Dr. Michael Howard listens to the heart of Bella, a Boston terrier puppy at Best Care Pet Hospital In Omaha on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Bella was anesthetized before power was cut to the south Omaha neighborhood where they are located because of extreme temperatures in the region. Omaha's low Dr. Howard was prepping to spay Bella by window light before the power did come back on. They had performed one surgery with no power already that morning.
Neymar walks around in a sweater after a power outage at Best Care Pet Hospital at 3030 L Street on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Extreme temperatures forces rolling blackouts in the area.
Sunlight filters through the steam as cars head east on Leavenworth Street towards 16th Street as the low in the area was close to 20 degrees below zero on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
Steam rises out of the Missouri River around the Interstate 480 bridge as viewed from Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park in Council Bluffs early Tuesday, Feb. 16. Lows in the Omaha metro area were around 23 degrees below zero. The steam caused icy roads and the temporary closure of the bridge.
Owner Gary Wrenn moves catfish filets from the cornmeal dredge to the fryers at Cajun Kitchen on 30th and Maple Streets in Omaha on Monday.
Firefighters work to put out a fire in an apartment building at 10th and William Street in Omaha on Monday.
Omaha's Matt Miller (27) moves behind the net, near Colorado College's Matthew Gleason (15), Brian Hawkinson (29) and Matt Vernon (30) in the Colorado College vs. Omaha hockey game at the Baxter Arena in Omaha on Friday. The Mavericks won the game 7-1.
Erin Gramke gives Sigurd Sorenson his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the VA Medical Center in Omaha on Thursday. Sorenson, 84, served in the Army.
Rev. Ralph Lassiter sits inside Kohl's Pharmacy during the observation period after his second COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. Rev. Lassiter wants to set a good example for his community by receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and stressing its' safety.
The Bellevue West bench celebrates a three-pointer in the Waukee vs. Bellevue West boys basketball game on Tuesday. Bellevue West won the game 74-60.
Hand-painted bonbons for a Valentine's Day special are flavored with, from left, raspberry, passion fruit, vanilla bean salted caramel and milk chocolate, from Sugar Makery BitterSweet in Council Bluffs.
A Gibson Les Paul is one of more than 70 guitars in the exhibit.
A crane lifts a small plane that had its landing gear collapse while landing at Eppley Airfield on Friday. Two people were on board the plane; neither was injured.
Creighton's Damien Jefferson is called for a foul against Georgetown's Jamorko Pickett at CHI HealthCenter on Wednesday, February 03, 2021.
Avante Dickerson talks to members of the media after he announced he was signing to play football at the University of Oregon at Omaha Westside High School on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.
Rime ice forms on the trees at the Chalco Hills Recreation Area on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.
Two people jog around Prairie Queen Recreation Area as a freezing fog covers the region on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.
Frost hangs onto a fence in Omaha on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.
emily.nitcher@owh.com, 402-444-1192, twitter.com/emily_nitcher
Emily Nitcher
Emily covers K-12 education, including Omaha Public Schools. Previously, Emily covered local government and the Nebraska Legislature for The World-Herald. Follow her on Twitter @emily_nitcher. Phone: 402-444-1192.
