Omaha's new Superintendent no Stranger to Controversy

Deena Winter:

Omaha's new school superintendent is no stranger to controversy, having survived nepotism charges as the schools' chief in Des Moines.

Nancy Sebring's tenure presiding over 31,000 Des Moines students since 2006 has been controversial at times - particularly when her twin sister was hired as director of Des Moines' first charter school 15 months ago.

Despite questions about how her sister got the job, Sebring has said she had nothing to do with an advisory board's decision. The charter school's launch has been rocky. It opened six months behind schedule and enrollment has not met projections, with 40 percent of students leaving its first year. The school has not provided quarterly reports as required and its budget is nearly twice as big as projected, according to the Des Moines Register.

Then 53 laptop computers were not returned by students last year, and the school was dinged by police for not tracking the computers, according to the Register. Despite calls for a new director, Sebring's sister remains in the job.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 5, 2012 1:15 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas