New superintendent makes his rounds on Omaha’s first day of school

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Wednesday marked the first day of the 2024-25 school year at Omaha Public Schools for sixth graders, eighth graders, and kindergartners.

And for the district, there’s a new sheriff in town: Superintendent Matt Ray made an appearance at Belvedere Elementary School this morning.

“This morning I’ve been to three schools already,” Ray said. “I’ve been to a high school, a middle school and an elementary school. It’s so exciting to see kids back in our building.”

Ray is no stranger to Omaha Public Schools. He was the interim superintendent last school year and is now fixed atop the district’s leadership.

He’s no stranger to the classroom either, having taught fifth grade during his 28 years with the district.

“I know the district, I know the cadence of when things will happen and what we have to prepare for,” Ray said. “So, I’ve had the opportunity to work with four superintendents so they all bring good things that I can take from and lessons that I learned from all of them so just that experience and seeing it all lay out for that matter of years.”

Ray is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work — starting with these kindergarteners.

It’s their first time in a school classroom and the excitement of the first day leads into a focus of what these kids will be learning over the next dozen years.

“It’s all about reading,” Ray said. “It’s all about literacy and how we move the district forward with that one primary goal that everybody, no matter what your position is in the district, you’re working towards reading. That’s where we’ll be headed.”

Admittedly, these kids will need the help of their families to insure they get the most benefit from their education.

Shaneice Udofia is in her third year as principal at Belvedere. She understands the importance of getting parents on board and having their children ready to learn whatever the grade.

“Get information out to parents about having routines and procedures that will only support school and waking up in the morning, having clothes picked out and knowing those ways to get to school on time so they are ready to go,” Udofia said. “They’re on time, on task and on a mission, as we say.”

One area of emphasis this year and moving forward is improving high school graduation rates. A report this summer showed over the last five years, graduation rates dropped six percentage points.

“Our high school principals are very aware of the data,” Ray said. “We’ve talked about the data and we’re looking at groups that aren’t graduation on time, we’re looking at summer graduation and what we’re doing during the summer. But I think that [2023-24] data will drive us to a baseline of where we need to move.”

Ray also looks to streamline the educational process in future years.

“If there’s something we can do better is aligning all the things that we’re doing and prioritizing those things that really matter,” Ray said .”It’s an area I think where we’re all focusing on is trying to make sure all of our efforts are going to a common goal.”

Ray was central in creating and adopting Omaha Public Schools current strategic plan of action. The plan focuses on academics, staff, financial accountability and ethic of care.

Students of all grades at Omaha Public Schools start classes tomorrow.

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