Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to Iowa’s public schools for 38 years. When a critical mass was reached with teachers speaking in one voice, the administrator didn’t know it, but there was big change coming. The governor’s budget book of proposals she is submitting to the legislature included several policies Reynolds didn’t mention in her speech. Instead of addressing Iowa’s ranking as the worst state for economic growth, or talking about how to protect and boost Iowa’s sagging rankings for its public schools, she once again will propose a 2 percent increase in state aid per pupil for public schools. Public schools are the engine of economic growth for our communities.