Friday, January 29, 2021 Jenni Benson | NSEA While we should have come to expect such an approach by now, like most other Nebraska educators, I was still surprised by the late January remarks of Gov. Pete Ricketts. When asked whether he would sign a proclamation celebrating Public Schools Week, Ricketts said no, that education-related proclamations issued by his office focus on excellence and choice. The Governors comment is offensive and wrong-headed. Nebraska public schools clearly do, in fact, provide both excellence and choice. Ricketts remarks are more than hurtful to the 330,000 children attending and the 28,000-plus teachers, 1,200-plus administrators and thousands of education support professionals working in our Nebraska public schools.