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The Omaha Public Schools (OPS) community was recently informed of a significant financial setback. A miscalculation by the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) in the state aid for the 2025-26 school year resulted in OPS receiving $30.5 million more than it should have. The NDE plans to rectify the error by subtracting the excess amount from the state aid allocated to OPS for the next academic year. This, coupled with a lower level of state aid, is expected to cause a $61 million shortfall in the OPS budget for the 2026-27 school year. The error was related to the “Poverty Allowance” for schools and districts participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program…