tdaxp

"Omaha superintendent fearful of harm to district," Associated Press, 3 September 2006, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2006/09/03/news/nebraska/7c7e5940d7c7495b862571de000f1aab.txt.

John Mackiel, Omaha's power-hungry and incompetent public schools superintendent, is in the news again. Earlier I reported how Omaha Public Schools' attempts to annex small, neighboring districts led to the break-up of OPS into three smaller districts. But while the tripartition of Omaha Public Schools winds its way through the courts, Mackiel and OPS already see their power vanish in another direction

Omaha Schools Superintendent John Mackiel says his district favors the concept of a Douglas County-Sarpy County "learning community."

But his district opposes the community's official implementation, Mackiel said Friday.

...

Under the new law, council action requires majority vote of the 11 district representatives. Also, at least a third of the total Douglas and Sarpy County enrollment must be represented in the votes for approval.

Critics say the smallest of the districts, Bennington, would have the same voting power as Omaha, the largest.

Mackiel said politics play too big a role in the interdistrict discussions.

Add in South Dakota's mini-Mackiel, and it's clear that superintendents are not the most politically attuned of all professionals...

"Omaha Schools Split Along Race Lines," by Scott Bauer, Associated Press, 13 April 2006, http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1841310 (hat-tip: The Corner).

"Omaha Public Schools," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Apr 2006, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Omaha_Public_Schools&oldid=48371184..

"Winter came to Omaha
It left us looking like a bride
A million perfect snowflakes now
And no two are alike
So it's hard for me imagining
The flaws in this design"

Theme from Pinata, from "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn," by Bright Eyes

"We create a new people.

...

The next stage,
you will see!"

Yasser Arafat, sampled in "Hezbollah Radio Advert," by Muslimgauze

The big news is the end of the Omaha Public School District. The secret news is the triumph of complex adaptive systems.



On June 6, 2005, Omaha Superintendent John Mackiel decide to increase his power by annexing 25 schools currently part of the Elkhorn, Millard, and Ralston public school districts. Using an obscure Nebraska doctrine called "One City, One School district," Dr. Mackiel planned to increase the centralizing influence of the Omaha Public Schools, the Office of the Superintendent, and, least of all, himself.

What he didn't count on was complex adaptive systems.