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Revision as of 17:22, 20 March 2012

Westside Community Schools, also known locally as District 66, is Omaha's 3rd largest school district. The district has one high school, one middle school, ten elementary schools, and one alternative high school. The district is in the center-west part of Omaha, between the Omaha Public Schools district and the Millard Public Schools district. Westside also has over 2,000 "opt-in" students, with most coming from OPS.

The high school, Westside High School, has purchased about 2,000 MacBook computers in the "1:1 Initiative". Each high school student is issued one at the beginning of the year. They are used by the student throughout the school year, and then returned at the end of this time.

The Middle School has followed in the footsteps of the high school and has bought about 500 computers for the 8th graders with the same rules and constraints as the high schoolers.

Westside Community Schools current superintendent is Dr. Shareef Salfity.

Schools

• Westside High School
• Westside Middle School
• Hillside Elementary
• Loveland Elementary
• Oakdale Elementary
• Paddock Road Elementary
• Prairie Lane Elementary
• Rockbrook Elementary
• Sunset Hills Elementary
• Swallow Elementary
• Westbrook Elementary
• Westgate Elementary

Controversy

On June 6, 2005, the OPS board and Superintendent John Mackiel announced their intention to annex 25 schools within Omaha city limits (currently part of the Elkhorn Public Schools, Millard Public Schools and Ralston Public Schools districts) to OPS. This announcement, based on three Nebraska statutes enacted in 1891 and 1947 is known as One City, One School District.

District 66, although not directly involved in the dispute, joined with the three targeted districts to form a coalition to fend off the highly controversial move. Supporters of the OPS initiative claim that a single school district is necessary to promote a cohesive Omaha community, ensure academic equity in all Omaha schools, and to prevent OPS from becoming locked into a declining property tax base. Opponents contend that Omaha-area residents should be able to choose from a number of school districts, that the schools would become less efficient in one large school district, and that the initiative is no more than a power and money grab by OPS. Discussions among the school districts have been unproductive; the issue will figure prominently in the 2007 session of the Nebraska State Legislature. It is considered by many residents of the other school districts that this is a way to raise OPS' test scores which are considerably lower than districts such as Millard.

District 66's stance is explained in more detail at the "One City ... Many Choices" website, the link for which is provided at the bottom of the page.

See also

• Education in Omaha, Nebraska

External links

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• Westside Community Schools Website

• Schools in Omaha, Nebraska
• School districts in Nebraska