NEBRASKA- A petition drive is underway that would give the governor substantial oversight of K-12 schools in Nebraska.

The sponsors aim to replace the Nebraska State Board of Education, education commissioner and Nebraska Department of Education with a new Office of Education accountable to the governor.

The governor would appoint the director of the office, subject to confirmation by a majority of state senators.

Kelli Brady, a sponsor of the petition, said the intent is to move “major functions” of the department to the new office and return some of the department’s responsibilities to local school boards.

“Give the power back to the people that are dealing directly with the children,” she said.

Critics, however, say that petition would have the opposite effect, eliminating an elected board and concentrating power in the Governor’s Office. A rift grew this year between the board and the governor.

Board members this year faced a firestorm of opposition when they proposed new health education standards for Nebraska schools that incorporated teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation.

Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts was vocal in his opposition to the sex ed topics in the standards. He also called for removing the 1619 Project and another curriculum resource, the Zinn Education Project, from a list of educational resources posted on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.

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