Last week, Governor Terry Branstad rolled out a new education policy proposal for the state. The Governor’s plan touches on several key areas including teacher pay, more stringent reading tests for third graders and mandatory SAT and ACT tests for high schoolers. Pella Schools Superintendent Greg Ebeling says its important that leaders be forward thinking, otherwise the runs the risk of being set back in education many years.

Knoxville Superintendent Dr. Randy Flack says that he sees some pros and cons in the plan. Flack says that he’s bothered by the continued emphasis on ranking of schools. He says more emphisis needs to be placed on providing needed assistance and professional help. Flack says that the focus on the CORE curriculum and end-of-course tests is good. He adds any plan needs to ensure accountability for both schools and students.