Lee County schools losing superintendent, may have to hire interim

WINK | By Annette Montgomery | February 12, 2024

On Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education voted to approve four finalists in its superintendent search, Lee County school superintendent Christopher Bernier was one of them.

Current Lee County school board members said they’re not shocked to learn other districts are interested in having Bernier lead their district.

“There’s no doubt he’s done a good job,” District 5 school board member Armor Persons said.

“He has to do what’s best for his himself as well and his family, so, yes, I have seen where he is one of the four finalists, which would not surprise me at all, because he’s done an amazing job here,” District 4 school board member Debbie Jordan said.

Bernier announced in October 2023, he would not be running for re-election after voters decided in November 2022, to change the role of Superintendent of Lee County school to an elected position versus an appointed one. It’s the first time in over 40 years it’s become a role people can vote on.

“When I asked if he would consider running, his response was he did not want to be an elected official. He wants to concentrate on the strategic plan and focus on why he was hired and why he was brought here by the board,” Jordan said.

“I didn’t think it was a good idea to hire a superintendent when we had the elected superintendent looming overhead. We had an interim that could have held the fort down and kept the business going until we knew what was going to happen in November 2022,” District 2 school board member Melisa Giovannelli said.

Now, there are questions over whether Bernier will finish out his term or the school board will have to pick an interim superintendent to fill the position before a new superintendent is elected in November.

Current board members said they are prepared either way.

“I think we need to be mentally prepared for whether he can finish out or not finish out his term, we have a lot of good people within the organization that I believe can step up,” Persons said.

“I believe that if it was at all possible for him to stay ’til November, that is what he would want to do because of the fact that he has a lot of work, that he still wants to make sure that it continues and for the district to thrive,” Jordan said, “but again, you have to be realistic, if something does come up, that he has no choice but to take it or lose it. I would assume that he would have to take it then.”

Giovannelli said the board has a lot of great internal candidates who can fill the position if Bernier does have to leave before his term is over.

Bernier does have to give the district a 90-day notice if he does decide not to finish out his term.