This story was originally published in El Perico’s February print issue.
When Margo Juarez was a junior at South High School, she went to a conference in Lincoln that brought together girls from across Nebraska to learn about state government. In a made-up election they ran, she vied for a spot on the State Board of Education.
In the forty-plus years that followed, Juarez never thought of running for a real public position. That changed when neighbors encouraged her to apply for the vacancy on the Omaha Public School District’s Board of Education that opened in November 2021.
“All my life, I’ve been community oriented,” Juarez said. “So even though I’ve not been in a job of this nature, wherever I’ve lived I’ve always gone out into the community.”
The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education selected Juarez to fill the vacant Subdistrict 8 position on Monday, Dec. 13. Juarez replaces Kimara Snipes who announced in November she had to move out of Subdistrict 8 and would no longer qualify to serve.
Juarez is a founding member of the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, and worked alongside Snipes as the co-secretary for the South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for her,” she said. “She’s been a mentor for me.”
In filling Snipes’ position, the Board of Education split between Juarez and fellow candidate Evan Schmeits in two rounds of voting. In a third round, the board voted 7-1 in Juarez’s favor.
“Ms. Juarez has shown a deep commitment to the community through her service with many groups, including as a co-founder of the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association near our new Buena Vista High,” Board Officers Shavonna Holman and Jane Erdenberger said in a statement to El Perico. “We appreciate the time and energy Ms. Juarez has already invested at Omaha Public Schools, during such a busy and important time.”
Juarez joins the board as the pandemic still poses serious challenges. During a Board of Education meeting on Jan. 20 OPS staff members told the Board they’re exhausted, fearful and overworked amid staff shortages and rising COVID cases.
While the district’s decision to return to in-person learning with a mask mandate has been met with mixed opinions, the mandate mirrors the City of Omaha’s, which went into effect on Jan. 12.
“That really puts into place how seriously we have to take this virus that’s hitting us right now,” she said.
As the pandemic wanes, Juarez hopes to meet families, students and educators of her subdistrict.
“My goal is to go to every single one of the schools that are in my district, and go and meet the principals and the staff.”
As she serves as the Board of Education member in Subdistrict 8, which has a large population of immigrant families, Juarez wants to make it clear she does not speak any languages besides English. Still, she will prioritize connecting families with resources to break down language barriers.
“I don’t want anyone in the community to feel isolated,” she said. “There are lots of languages that are spoken in OPS, and I want to be able to use whatever tools that we need, so we can always get their concerns addressed.”
South Omaha has always been “home” for Juarez. After working in the Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service for more than 30 years, Juarez moved from Utah back to Omaha. When she isn’t working a slew of part-time jobs (including ushering at the Baxter Arena and College World Series as well as for the City of Papillion) she fixes up homes, a hobby she found early in the pandemic.
“That’s really what has helped me to survive because it’s had my focus,” she said.
As she begins her role on the Board of Education, there’s been a lot of programs new to OPS she’s eager to better understand.
“It’s just all part of a world that I’m going to really need to learn about,” she said. “I’m just concerned about the kids getting up to speed. We want success for all the students.”