Nebraska Department of Education

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Nebraska Department of Education
Agency overview
Formed1875
Jurisdiction Nebraska
HeadquartersLincoln, Nebraska
Employees505
Agency executive
  • Brian L. Maher, Commissioner of Education

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is a constitutional agency responsible for overseeing and administering the state's education system. It operates under the authority of the Nebraska State Board of Education, a nonpartisan elected body, and is led by the Nebraska Commissioner of Education, who is appointed by the Board.

Contents

Structure and Governance

The NDE consists of two primary entities:

State Board of Education

The Nebraska Superintendent of Public Instruction was established as a partisan elected office in 1869 and was added as a constitutional office in the 1875 Constitution. [3] In 1917, the legislature made the elections for Superintendent nonpartisan, and in 1920, voters ratified a constitutional amendment extending the term of office to four years. [4] Voters ratified another constitutional amendment in 1952 that created the State Board of Education as a nonpartisan elected body responsible for appointing the Superintendent. The first elections took place in 1954, with members elected from the districts used to elect members of the Nebraska Supreme Court. In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's one-person, one-vote decisions, the legislature drew new districts of equal population in 1967, and redrew the districts after every succeeding census. [5]

Nebraska State Board of Education Members [6]
DistrictNameFirst electedSeat up
1Kristin Christensen20242028
2Maggie Douglas20242028
3Lisa Schonhoff20242028
4Liz Renner20242028
5Kirk Penner20222026
6Sherry Jones20222026
7Elizabeth Tegtmeier, President20222026
8Deborah Neary, Vice President20222026

Responsibilities

The NDE administers a wide range of programs and services, including: [1]

The NDE works with public, private, and nonpublic schools, as well as institutions of higher education, to improve educational opportunities across the state.

References

  1. 1 2 "About the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE)". Nebraska Department of Education. July 28, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  2. "Commissioner". Nebraska Department of Education. October 7, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  3. Miewald, Robert D.; Longo, Peter J. (2011). The Nebraska State Constitution. Oxford University Press. p. 127. ISBN   978-0-19-977931-4 . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  4. "Background". Nebraska Department of Education. September 21, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  5. Yeargain, Quinn (2023). "Shadow Districts" (PDF). Cardozo Law Review. 45 (2): 424, 444–45. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  6. "Nebraska State Board of Education Members". Nebraska Department of Education. January 13, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.