WHAT DOES THE OPS BOARD DO? AND CAN I DO A GOOD JOB AS YOUR BOARD MEMBER?
| These are some of the key responsibilities of the OPS Board: | These are the skills and experience I have to meet those responsibilities: |
|---|---|
| Issue bonds to raise funds for capital projects | I was a bond finance lawyer for 22 years. |
| Make budget and allocation decisions about a budget of more than $600,000,000. | The bond transactions I worked on were for millions of dollars [in one case, a billion dollars] and required an understanding of the budgets and competing interests being financed. |
| Understand detailed contracts and reports. | My responsibilities as a bond finance lawyer included negotiating and writing dozens of documents necessary to reflect the specific details of each of the hundreds of transactions on which I represented my clients. |
| Balance competing interests for the best outcome. | My law practice did not take me into the courtroom. Instead, I spent time in board rooms working to create transactions that best met the needs of the several parties involved in each transaction. |
| Approve curriculum and other District policies | I wrote district- wide social studies curriculum and served on several District committees addressing issues such as grading scales and classroom scheduling. |
| Maintain a productive relationship with the 5,000 teachers that are responsible for educating and encouraging more than 52,000 students in the OPS District. | As a former teacher, I have a unique understanding and appreciation of the demands of the classroom and how important it is to have a productive relationship with the OPS District administrators. |
| Respect the diverse communities in the District. | I grew up in District 66, raised a family in the Dundee neighborhood, currently live in the Aksarben neighborhood, taught – and participate in initiatives – in North Omaha and did my student teacher observations and worked closely with high school faculty in South Omaha. |
| Know how to be a productive Board member. | I was elected to serve as a member of the Omaha Education Association Board for the maximum number of terms, overseeing contract negotiations, meeting regularly with District administrators and responding to concerns of my teacher-constituents. I was also appointed by Governor Dave Heineman to serve two terms on the state-wide Nebraska on Nebraska Educational, Health, Cultural, and Social Services Finance Authority. I was vice-Chairman for one of those terms. |
| Be able to work productively with groups of people. | I have developed the ability to work collaboratively with groups of people ranging from my 4-person family unit, my 100 law partners, hundreds of 30-student classroom and thousands of fellow teachers. |
| Spend 10-20 hours/week reading materials, attending committee meetings and attending the Board meeting and engaging in community outreach activities. | My career as a bond finance lawyer, and my career as a high school teacher, prepared me for working approximately 60 hours/week, including evenings and weekends. I am recently retired – but I am fully prepared to continue that commitment of time in my capacity as a member of the OPS Board. |
| Be a positive public representative. | After teaching for 16 years, I have developed public speaking skills and the ability to explain information to large groups of people. |
| Serve as an additional channel of communication between the parents and OPS District administrators and taxpayers and teachers and students. | As a parent and teacher and taxpayer that has worked with students and OPS District administrators for dozens of years, I am uniquely equipped to understand and evaluate and communicate the issues and concerns that must be address and balanced to create eager learners for tomorrow’s workforce. |