for Learning Community subdistrict 3
Maggie Duffy: Educator, Organizer, and Community Advocate
A proud graduate of South High School, Maggie Duffy is a lifelong learner and dedicated educator. She earned her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Loyola University, beginning her career teaching on the west side of Chicago for seven years. Drawn back to her hometown, Maggie returned to Omaha and taught for Omaha Public Schools (OPS) for 19 years until her retirement.
Throughout her career, Maggie has been a consistent voice for teachers and students. She served as an Association Representative for the Omaha Education Association (OEA) and was elected twice to the OEA Board of Directors. Beyond the classroom, her experience operating a local small business and serving as a grassroots community organizer has equipped her with the real-world logistics and coalition-building skills necessary for effective council governance.
As a former OPS teacher and parent, Maggie is running for the Learning Community Coordinating Council (LCCC) to ensure the community remains a place where children and families can thrive. She brings a deep understanding of what works in the classroom, strongly advocating that early childhood education must follow proven best practices and align appropriately with a child’s developmental age.
Today, Maggie remains actively invested in local schools, frequently substitute teaching at Dundee Elementary. She lives in the Aksarben neighborhood with her husband and their four cats. When she isn’t organizing or advocating, she enjoys writing notes of encouragement to local teachers, reading books from the Omaha Public Library, and helping out at her nephew’s community garden, where everyone is welcome.
My Vision for District 3
Graduation Begins in Kindergarten Early childhood education must follow proven best practices and align appropriately with a child’s developmental age. The sooner a love for learning is instilled, the more time it has to grow. By reaching students early with the right resources, we set the foundational building blocks for higher graduation rates and lifelong success.
Student Engagement Through Family Engagement Students learn best when they know they are truly cared for and valued. But my decades in the classroom taught me that this connection must expand beyond the student to include the whole family. What is important to parents is important to their children, and vice versa. Engaging families when their children are young—and maintaining those relationships with school—is the most effective way to keep students thriving.
The Promise of Public Education Education should be accessible to all providing every child the opportunity to learn. While I respect a families choice to attend a private school (my own working-class parents worked extra hours to send me to a parochial elementary school), I know firsthand the unmatched power of our public school system. It was Omaha’s South High that ultimately gave me an understanding and love of mathematics. Strong public schools are the bedrock of our community, and they deserve our unwavering support.
Educating the Whole Child The ultimate purpose of education is to make lives better. We are here to build compassionate, productive members of society not to churn out robots; By providing every opportunity possible for all children to learn, we give them the tools to find their joy that turn into fulfilling careers
Why am I running? The purpose of education is to improve lives, and therefore society.This is what matters to me. To quote Martin Luther King, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.
