CONCEPTO IMPORTE “CARAVANAS DE LA SALUD” $3,654,030.58 (tres millones seiscientos cincuenta y

OPS Image

• Big. • Diverse.

• Constantly partnering with business. • Challenged.

• There is so much opportunity.

Changing Image

• Don’t see much change – it is kind of neutral. • Stagnant.

Trust

• Different audiences may have different answers,

• There is a lack of trust, so that is something to build on.

• There is a powerful segment of the community that doesn’t believe there is any trust.

Most Value about OPS Education

• Magnet school opportunities. Focus the schools so there are more opportunities for kids to get the curriculum they are interested in.

• If leadership is strong, they are taking the reins and building in innovative strategies. But there are also big voids as well. You can feel strong leadership when you walk into a building.

• They get a sense that there is a real ownership of accountability in the district. • The dual language program is a gem and OPS is making an effort to include diverse

populations. Demographics are changing very quickly. Leaders are trying to adapt and acculturate that change.

• OPS is very purposeful about building partnerships in the community. It has shown that it values working in collaboration.

• The district continues to collaborate and innovate and tries to help students see themselves in the community. That would be a great story to tell.

• K12 and UNO students are working together on projects that offer great opportunities to tell stories. Need ways to push those stories out.

• The representative from the Police Department said that she believes there’s a media interest in positive stories and she would be willing to help push them out.

Strengths of Communication

• District convenes different task forces and advisory committees. But there’s a much bigger piece missing in how it is communicating with the community at large. • It seems that OPS does a fairly decent job communicating with parents.

Communication Improvements

• All of Omaha is not getting the message. We are not talking a lot about topics like immigrant populations, etc.

• Maybe information needs to be communicated from a different perspective.

• There are so many story gems just from the district’s work with diverse populations that could be told.

• Omaha is not very interested in engaging around multilingual immigrant groups. • There are some gaps with parents, but also challenges. One participant noted that many

parents she deals with aren’t Facebook savvy and prefer face-to-face communication. • For social service providers, it would be nice to get an e-newsletter on what’s going on in

OPS.

• The superintendent has an advisory council that is helpful.

• OPS blocks huge chunks of the Internet, which is a big barrier for getting tools for teaching students.

• Schools should be showing kids what’s appropriate in Internet usage.

• Immigrant families don’t hear much from the district; there is a lack of connectivity, though OPS has made an effort.

• OPS doesn’t get its messaging out about immigrant, bilingual programs. • People don’t know about the programs offered.

• One participant reported hearing something on the radio about a program and was impressed.

Sources of Information

• Teachers and administrators, people they are partnering with. Those who work in the district and that they have a relationship with.

• Local news media. There was good communication between the Police Department and OPS under the former director of communications; not as sure of that now. But OPS is so big, information doesn’t always trickle down to staff.

• Other large community partners, such as the Chamber of Commerce. Updates are not provided directly from OPS.

• Teachers are the strongest voice and the ones several said they connect with most frequently.

Accessibility of Information

• They can usually find someone to get an answer from when needed. • For most part, they find information accessible.

Information Desired

• This group thought it would be great to plug into a strategic plan and a specific set of goals. They would like to do that to help achieve OPS achieve its mission and find mutual benefits.

• They would like to hear more about how the community can help schools and kids. Right now, they don’t know what they can do.

• More about innovative things OPS is doing, trends it is following, best practice changes, and how district is assessing itself.

• A map of how OPS is working with all its partners and how the relationships work. • There is a violence problem in Omaha and they would like to know what OPS is doing to

help address it.

• Empowerment network does a good job with community collaboration and OPS attends meetings, but never communicates back on what it’s doing. There is a disconnect on how kids perceive civic duty; it’s hard to find anyone in OPS to take ideas to about Crime Stoppers.

• They wonder whether OPS feels it’s a passive participant (in initiatives like Bright Futures). They don’t see OPS leading the charge, or being willing to participate.

• There is no one to infuse energy into community projects and build excitement. It’s just a bureaucracy right now.

Information on Activities/Events

• One participant felt communication is very one-way. She provides information on opportunities for teachers, but doesn’t hear anything back.

• Others in the group agreed.

Best Way to Communicate

• Email.

• This group liked the idea of a Facebook page. • Need face-to-face as well.

• OPS should have a media advisory committee similar to Millard School District’s. • Send out an update on what’s going on in the district.

• Take the superintendent and director of communication on a media tour.

Social Media

• This group felt OPS has to jump on it, there’s no way around it. If good content is provided, they will use it. The Police Department is using Facebook and Twitter.

OPS Website

• It’s frustrating; you can’t find the names of curriculum supervisors because the site is not updated. It should be simple to contact someone in the district.

• Schools have individual templates, but the quality depends on who at a school is keeping it updated (some sites have lots of typos, etc.). The disparity is very clear between schools that have resources and those that don’t.

Informed of Board Actions

• Local media.

• They appreciate that when there is a big event, such as the superintendent candidate meet and greet, the district gets invitations out.

Opportunities to Give Input

• Don’t know.

• One participant had never felt the district had reached out to her.

Improving Engagement

• Invite people in for activities so they can get to know the district.

• The City of Omaha uses an online town hall (Engage Omaha) as a way for people to submit ideas and get a response. OPS might consider trying that approach.

Perceptions of Board

• One bad thing can eradicate all the good stuff. • Need to get more positives out.

Image Improvements Needed

• Several said they don’t really know what the Board does, but they know when things go awry.

• They learn about the Board through the negative things that have happened.

Communication Expectations for Next Superintendent

• It is really important to get out in the community in the beginning so that people know who the superintendent is. Then the superintendent can empower others to carry the message.

• There is value in showing your assets. One participant said he is a huge proponent of getting more faces out there, especially the superintendent on big issues.

• This group hopes the new superintendent has clear expectations and a vision for OPS that reflects the values of the community. They want to know the superintendent is on the same page and that he will reach out and validate that. This group felt they are constantly reaching out to OPS and not getting much back.

• Be more transparent.

• As an example, the new police chief has three priorities the department always talk about. Having talking points provides clear direction.

Greatest Challenges Facing OPS

• Culture change must be so difficult in the school district. • There is a huge immigrant population and language barriers.

• OPS is “where the rubber meets the road” on diversity. It’s trying to keep up with the change and diversity. They feel that the fast pace of change is the cause of much of the media’s pushback. OPS is an easy target.