CUES School System

Mission

The CUES School System is a bold educational initiative providing centralized leadership and governance to three urban elementary schools in Omaha, NE serving a majority of low-income students and families. We combine innovative instructional methods with comprehensive student and family support in a Catholic faith-based environment to create and sustain excellent and measurable outcomes that not only impact the students we serve but also the entire community.

A Letter from Fr. Dave Korth

Dear Friends of CUES,

It is an exciting time to be a part of CUES!

The creation of a school system for our three schools is the result of so many good people deciding that the time had come to be more intentional and proactive in the lives of our students and their families. With new governance, we are now able to better leverage the expertise of lay leaders with experience in academia to implement best practices, wise policy, and to share resources. We are so grateful to our Board of Governors, our three principals, and, of course, to our fine staffs in each of our buildings, for all that they have done to improve our schools!

We are also grateful that their decisions have resulted in smart investments to help our students and families. We have increased our teacher salaries and are using technology to help with an entirely new classroom model. In addition, we have hired Jim Swanson to be the Director of Student and Family Support for our system. Jim helps to provide our students and families with additional wrap-around services. Not only does Jim free our teachers to focus on teaching, he helps us serve the needs of the whole student by addressing both their individual needs and the needs of his/her family.

But more than anything, this new system has allowed us to focus more on the culture of our CUES schools. We came up with the following culture statement: “The CUES School System is rooted in Catholic faith and values. We share God’s love, kindness, and excellence.” My day is filled with stories of how our leadership, teachers, students, and families consciously bring this statement to life.

Gratefully,

Fr. David Korth
President, CUES School System

CUES School System

Board of Governers
Archbishop George Lucas
Archbishop of Omaha

Fr. Dave Korth
President, CUES Schools System

Dr. Carin Appleget, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Education, Creighton University

Rick Bettger
CUES Fund Board of Directors Representative

Vira Brooks
Retired Omaha Public School Special Education

Judy Ann Coore
Diverse Learning Needs for Vulnerable Populations

Dr. Jean Hearn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Early Childhood Program Director at Creighton University

Dr. Laura Hickman, Ed.D.
Principal, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart

Candice Moore
Omaha Public School Special Education

Mary Ritzdorf Ed.D.
Assistant Program Director, Teacher Education
College of Saint Mary

Staff
Terri Bush
Chief Academic Officer

Jim Swanson
Dir. Student and Family Support

Ed Butler
Dir. Of Technology

Principals
Mike Jensen
Sacred Heart School

Angie Whitfield
All Saints Catholic School

Tanya Santos
Holy Name School

Our Schools