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Two in OPS board race tout fiscal skills(Omaha World-Herald (NE) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sep. 26--Omaha Public Schools residents in south Omaha and Bellevue can choose between two school board candidates who say they're fiscally-minded. Longtime board member F.E. "Fritz" Stanek is often the first to raise questions about school district spending during board meetings and press for answers about how OPS compares with neighboring districts. His opponent, Jim Enright, is a self-described fiscal conservative who wants to see a drastic reduction in the taxpayer burden of the "overextended" district. He said OPS needs to curb spending by cutting out unnecessary and inefficient positions and programs. He didn't say what he would cut but that he would call for an audit if elected and make cuts based on its results. Stanek isn't campaigning. He said he believes his record after 33 years on the board should speak for itself. He didn't campaign four years ago, either, and won with just over 58 percent of the 5,260 votes cast. Enright took nearly 42 percent in that race. Stanek was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma late last year and has finished chemotherapy. His cancer is not curable, but he said he feels well and has been cleared until his next check-up in about six months. Enright started canvassing Subdistrict 6 neighborhoods just after Labor Day, knocking on doors and passing out fliers. The area runs generally from Interstate 80 south to the district's border in Bellevue, and from 36th Street east to the Missouri River. Enright's campaign literature says the Omaha district spends $13,044 per pupil. He cited an Omaha group, the Platte Institute for Economic Research. That figure was calculated differently than the state's required cost of instruction. According to information sent to the state for the 2006-07 school year, the district spent $9,025.78, an amount in line with area school districts. Enright stands behind the larger number, he said, because it includes all district expenses, save special education and food service. Enright's literature also says there are 925 central office employees, and he would advocate a "humane downsizing" of those positions if elected. District spokeswoman Luanne Nelson said there are 533 full- and part-time staff at the Teacher Administrative Center, from clerical and service positions to administrators. Enright said he took his number from a Platte Institute piece that estimated the range of employees from 141 to 925. Stanek said a 1995 independent audit of district expenses showed that the district is a good steward of tax dollars. Stanek said he welcomes another such study, if taxpayers were willing or the business community paid for it. Nondistrict funders paid $15,000 for the earlier analysis. Stanek also pointed to the district's total tax levy. It is lower than several other area districts and did not increase for this school year. "The kids are No. 1," Stanek said. "We're trying to compete with the school districts outside of Omaha, including Millard. They have all-day kindergarten, they have after-school classes." Startup funds from private donors got all-day kindergarten into all OPS schools. Before- and after-school tutoring also is increasing. Stanek said changes in demographics, particularly in the south Omaha neighborhoods that he represents, make these investments crucial. Enright, in contrast, said he believes property tax relief must be the top priority. He also would advocate for more back-to-basics instruction such as rote memorization of math facts and phonics instruction. He also said the district should model itself after successful charter schools such as the college preparatory Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP. KIPP schools require students to attend a much longer school day and school year. "You don't educate kids by spending money," Enright said. "You educate them by getting back to basics and discipline, emulating the successful charter schools." But information from KIPP says it costs, typically, $1,500 more per student to operate its schools, compared with traditional schools, because of extra teacher time and other expenses. The two-county learning community, which will require all 11 area school districts to work together and share financial resources, will begin soon after the winner of this race takes office. Enright called the learning community and its governing council a "totally unnecessary bureaucratic monstrosity." Stanek said the entity will allow new opportunities for students, increase diversity and "benefit everyone in the long run." --Contact the writer: 444-1037, [email protected] To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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