A Unified Path to Improve Student Success

Omaha Public Schools has set its course for the next five years with a unified plan to achieve our Moonshot: all students read on grade level by 2030.

The 2026–30 Strategic Plan, recently approved unanimously by the Board of Education, will guide that work.

“It’s the commitment of the Omaha Public Schools to move as one system, with clarity, coherence and accountability toward one goal,” said Kanyon Chism, Ed.D., Omaha Public Schools chief of staff. “This plan is about consistency for every school, for every classroom and for every child.”

School and district leaders and board members presented the Strategic Plan during the March 9 Board of Education meeting, highlighting the districtwide collaboration behind the work. The approach follows a vision for one, united focus on improvement, first introduced by Superintendent Matthew Ray in August 2024.

“This work does not belong to one group or one moment,” said Jane Erdenberger, Omaha Public Schools Board of Education president. “Achieving our Moonshot will require sustained focus, collective responsibility and trust in the systems we are building together.”

The Strategic Plan outlines how our district will achieve student success through three connected elements: Alignment, Action and Accountability. 

Alignment work began during the 2024-25 school year. Our district gathered feedback from more than 1,000 students, educators, families and community members through listening sessions, surveys and earning system-wide accreditation.

“Core messages were remarkably aligned, citing the need for clearer priorities, greater consistency and stronger support for literacy learning,” said Kimara Snipes, Omaha Public Schools Board of Education vice president. “This path towards our Moonshot reflects more than a year of staff and community engagement, iteration and Board partnership.”

Action is already taking shape in classrooms through our focus on literacy and continuous improvement. Christopher Humphries, North High principal, shared how teams regularly review student work together and adjust instruction based on what students need next.

“Our data shows that we need to increase active engagement and expectations during instruction,” said Humphries. “Teachers are learning how to implement opportunities for reading, writing, speaking and listening in courses ranging from math to PE.”

The third element of the plan, Accountability, outlines how our district will measure progress and hold itself accountable for results over time. District staff will report publicly on outcomes and student progress indicators.

“This approach keeps the focus not just on results, but on learning and strengthening the system as we go,” said Susanne Cramer, Omaha Public Schools chief school improvement officer.

Omaha Public Schools will continue using focus groups and surveys to understand how educators and staff are experiencing the work in our district.

“That feedback helps us listen, learn and adjust, strengthening implementation as we move toward our Moonshot goal,” said Cramer. 

As Omaha Public Schools moves forward in this work, the takeaway is clear: literacy unlocks everything else for young people.

“Literacy is the avenue through which students access every subject,” said Snipes. “If we strengthen literacy, we strengthen everything that follows.”

The full Omaha Public Schools 2026-30 Strategic plan is available on our website.