Retiring Gretna Public Schools superintendent looks back on years of education and service by Greg Staskiewicz

Kevin Riley, superintendent of Gretna Public Schools, reflects on Horace Mann as a man who valued public education so much, he thought the U.S. should fund schools to teach all of its children.

In the same way Horace Mann saw public education as one of the most important national values, Riley said his students are so important that they deserve the extra time and effort to ensure their teachers are the best.

“The classroom is the only place that really matters, and as long as you’re putting all of your efforts into supporting the classroom and children, and your teachers and your principals, you’re going to be successful in this business,” Riley said. “So you hire good people, you support them and you’ll have a good place for kids.”

A native of Omaha, Riley attended then Bellevue College, where he played basketball.

“My dad always said, ‘do something you love,’” Riley said. “And the things I loved were basketball, golf and art.”

He later transferred to the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education.

He began his career as an art teacher at Millard Junior High where he coached basketball and golf.

After getting his masters’ degree in educational administration from UNO, a Gretna high school principal, whom he knew through his college basketball days, invited him to interview for the assistant principal position.

Riley got the job and spent the next three years as assistant principal, then another 14 as a principal. When the previous superintendent retired, Gretna’s school board asked Riley to take the position, which he has held for 20 years.

In all, Riley has been with the district for 37 years.

“I think the reason I got into education is because I had such good teachers and coaches,” Riley said. “And my college basketball coach and I were very close. He was a great man.”

In fact, Riley said he still stays in touch with his old coach, Jerry Mosser.

Riley uses his years of experience to keep Gretna schools ahead of a key challenge to the district: growth.

Since the early 2000s, the district has grown from 1,356 students to more than 5,300. Class space and faculty are two important areas Riley said he works to make the best they can be.

When hiring teachers and support staff, Riley emphasizes hiring “smart people who care.”

Public education creates a proud and strong middle class, which Riley said is vital to democracy.

He said only a few students can attend private schools. Without strong public schools, the majority of students would suffer, especially the poorest among them.

Riley, who will retire at the end of the 2018-2019 school year, said he hopes he has contributed to his students’ success.

“This job is about kids, it’s about children, and the development of human beings,” Riley said. “If I made some contribution, I think that would make me happiest.”