Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, who leads K-12 education, will also oversee the state’s colleges and universities beginning this fall.

The same person overseeing the state’s college and university system along with its K-12 schools is part of a state government streamlining effort by Gov. Mike Braun.

This year saw the end of the first full school year affected by the pandemic, more state education funding specifically to raise teacher pay, and a lot more attention given to schools for how they've handled COVID-19 and other issues.

The Indiana State Board of Education is revamping the accountability system and has suggested new ways to evaluate school quality could include attendance rates, social studies and science test scores, and career exploration.

Gov. Eric Holcomb will appoint Katie Jenner as Indiana's first-ever appointed education secretary. Holcomb announced his pick for the state's top school official in a statement Thursday.