Biographical Information
Education
Masters
Current Public Office, dates held
Omaha Public Schools Board of Education, Subdistrict 5 (2021 - present)
Volunteer experience
I serve as a board member for the Victory Boxing Club and Community Center in South Omaha. I have also served in various roles on my church's missions team, am a member of a local Rotary club, and volunteer for school events across the district.
Why are you running for the school board? If elected, what will be your priorities?
I am running for re-election to the board because I am passionate and personally invested in our community and our schools. As a father to two young children, I understand the importance of a high-quality education. As a board member I have worked hard to improve curriculum across the district at all levels, including what will be seven full scale curriculum adoptions this year alone. I have worked to completely reform the way OPS addresses turnaround schools by rebuilding the way we evaluate low performing schools and assign resources, I have been a staunch advocate of increasing standards and pushing the district to new heights, and supported our amazing teachers. I will continue to make these issues my priorities moving forward.
What is a school board member’s role and responsibility? How does that role differ from the role of the superintendent or administration?
The role of a school board member takes many forms. In law, the role is simple, a board member hires a superintendent, passes a budget, and approves curriculum. It reality, the role is much more complex. A good board member knows when they need to step in and but also when to step back and trust that the superintendent and experts we have hired are doing their jobs. A good board member can’t be afraid to say no or push the district to make changes where necessary. They listen more than they talk, visiting our schools, talking with teachers, principals, and families about their experiences in order to better formulate opinions and policies.
How can parents and schools work together for the benefit of all students?
Families and schools must work together for our children to receive the education they truly deserve. To succeed, the district must have the trust of families. We can’t do that without listening. We need to be actively pushing information out to families, but also actively listening to any ideas, concerns, or feedback. We just finished a superintendent search, and the board did it really well and we did it right. We solicited and acted up family feedback. We engaged with more families than the last two searches combined, we held townhalls and meetings across the district, and we listened. As the Board President, OPS isn’t my district alone, this is our district as a community. We need to have a district we can support and be proud of.