Return to Headlines

Investing in Our Students and Staff

Adams Elementary fourth grader Bentley Smoot loves coming to school every day. He doesn’t have a favorite subject because choosing only one is tricky.

“I love school,” said Smoot. “When I get home, I just want to go back to school and learn some more.”

Part of his class instruction includes using an iPad. In 2020, Omaha Public Schools invested in providing over 60,000 internet-connected iPads to students using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. The federal government distributed funds to school districts across the nation following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The iPads help us learn a lot,” said Smoot. “It gives us virtual learning time, and it’s like we’re in a different universe or world that’s educational.”

The iPads are one example of how Omaha Public Schools invested ESSER funding over three years. Our district received $304 million in three rounds of ESSER funding that supported over 60 initiatives. Investments include facility updates, teacher and staff retention, a refreshed curriculum and academic recovery.

“Student engagement and student achievement is always at the forefront of what we are looking to improve and capitalize on,” said Meagan Bakhit, Adams Elementary principal. “Investments in health and well-being, like new hydration stations, keep our students thriving inside our buildings,” Bakhit said.

Students also received over 88,000 hours of online and in-person tutoring through ESSER funding since 2022.

With ESSER, Omaha Public Schools introduced Next Level Learning (NLL), our summer school program. NLL addresses academic recovery and improves student outcomes. After first expanding summer opportunities with ESSER funds, Omaha Public Schools continued the work through its annual budget.

Chris Richardson, Prairie Wind Elementary assistant principal, is actively involved in the NLL program each summer. He emphasizes the importance of consistency in helping students retain classroom knowledge.

“Next Level Learning provides students with the chance to keep practicing their skills,” said Richardson. “They’re able to continue growing, and there’s been progress.”

Students also received over 75,000 hours of online and in-person tutoring through ESSER funding since 2022.

“When you think about that reach and the number of kids that we were able to help, it makes a huge difference,” said Richardson. “The point is to be able to teach those independent skills of being able to use other readily available resources when they need them.”

Although ESSER funding concludes at the end of September, Omaha Public Schools will use general funds to maintain support for the following:

Student devices and classroom technology
Internet connectivity for student devices
Early literacy and summer reading
High dosage tutoring
Staff plan time wages
Rolling staff retention stipends into regular pay scales

Since the funding began, our district has remained committed to quarterly updates on our work. Visit our website to read all ESSER in action articles.

Previous ESSER in Action Updates:

Sept. 2024