While Gov. Bill Lee has repeatedly pledged to build accountability into his voucher proposal, the draft of the plan wouldn't require participating students to take state tests, or other assessments.

Gov. Kim Reynolds' legislation lays out several of her education priorities, including exercising more state control over Iowa's Area Education Agencies and boosting teacher pay.

Over the past decade, the teacher shortage crisis has grown in the United States and many other countries. There is much to be done before the situation is under better control and new common-sense solutions are installed.

When the Austin school board in December 2022 appointed Matias Segura to temporarily run the district while members searched for a superintendent, he was focused on stabilizing the 73,000-student organization after years of turmoil wrought by leadership changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.