Regional 'learning community' to serve Omaha area
06/07 -- Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed a bill passed by the legislature in May to combine 11 school districts in the Omaha region into a “learning community.”
The measure is expected to put an end to two years of ideological and political struggle surrounding the future of the Omaha suburban school systems.
The 11 districts -- in Douglas and Sarpy Counties -- will retain their independence but will share financial resources, create interdistrict schools and programs, and, hopefully, raise student achievement by directing more resources toward poor and minority students.
“We are extraordinarily pleased with the unprecedented commitment to ensure this common bond,” Omaha Superintendent John Mackiel said. “I truly believe this plan holds promise.”
The learning community, which will affect about 100,000 students, is designed to increase classroom diversity and reduce the achievement gap between affluent and poor students and white and minority students.
These goals will be accomplished through the creation of new focus schools that will have specialized curricula, in such areas as business or foreign language immersion. Focus schools will have no home attendance area, allowing them to draw students from the entire learning community.
The bill also aims to increase diversity by encouraging students to attend schools outside their district. Preference will be given to students who will enhance the school’s socioeconomic diversity.
Elementary resource centers will be created to provide tutoring, after-school activities, and adult education to low-income students and their families.
The bill will be funded through a common tax levy of 95 cents per $100 of assessed property value. An 18-member council comprised of elected and appointed officials will oversee the regional school system, which will begin receiving funding in the 2009-10 school year.
State and city officials hope the new law will resolve the conflicts that arose when the Omaha school board attempted to annex portions of neighboring districts in 2005.
The annexation plan led to a 2006 state law that called for the creation of three school districts divided along racial lines. Two lawsuits, which protested the redistricting, calling it state-mandated segregation, have already been dropped.
But now there is a potential for new protests over the bill’s common tax levy which will place a disproportionate burden on wealthier districts.
| Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2007, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |