RE: Question 1: Who's in charge?

We, the public, need to have more say in education, not less.

The public needs to be able to communicate clearly to the person responsible for education, one way is through a vote.  When I vote for governor, many other issues are also considered. 

It would make more sense to have an elected official whose only work was education.  We, the parents and students and businesses that hire the graduates, would have a person with a clear education policy that we could communicate with, and change with the next vote if we did not agree with that education policy.

The plan voiced concerns about "stability" over time.  When the governor changes for all the other reasons a governor changes, this elected(only on the issues of education) education officer would provide that much needed stability.