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Omaha, NE-  The Omaha Public School Board of Education voted Monday to select the district's new superintendent.

In the 11-0 vote, members approved Dr. Nancy Sebring.
 
Sebring spent the last six years as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools.

The board president says Sebring's experience gave her an edge.

"We were interested in the fact that the experience that she does bring in the financial end and also as a superintendent of running a district," says Freddie Gray, the OPS board president.

Sebring spent much of her career in Colorado and Iowa.

Grey says getting Sebring familiar with the Omaha community is a priority.

"We'll be setting up ways for her to become engaged with community leaders," says Grey.

Sebring received high marks in Des Moines for her performance.  She tackled student achievement and raised graduation rates.  When she started in 2006, Des Moines' graduation rate was about 74% and rose to 78% in 2010.

Sebring's critics take issue over how she handled trouble at Des Moines First Charter School, which is run by her twin sister.

"to me, that shows a lack of understanding about communication," says Graham Gillette, a former Des Moines school board member and blogger for the Des Moines Register.

Gillette also says she didn't involve the community enough.

"I wish Dr. Sebring would have done more of that here in Des Moines," says Gillette.  "To be a leader, you have to take on some of the tough problems and engage with the community to solve those problems and I don't think she's always done that."

The OPS Board of Education will be talking about the details of her contract Monday night in a closed executive meeting.