As the school year comes to a close, districts across the state are announcing their choices for teacher of the year. Each local winner will advance to the state level for consideration for the 2022 Indiana Teacher of the Year, which is announced in the fall.

Senate Bill 205 allows people 26 and older with a bachelor's degree to get a teaching license after they finish an alternative training program and pass a state licensing exam.

Senate Bill 251 would have teachers opt in to union membership every year while being informed of their right to not join the Indiana State Teachers Association. School districts would have to confirm their decision by email.

Some school leaders are allowing employees to decide, and have organized clinics to provide them with the opportunity to get vaccinated or offered incentives for those who do.

Indiana K-12 teachers, school staff and child care workers can get the COVID-19 vaccine at any site in the state, starting Monday.

President Joe Biden has opened up federal COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to K-12 teachers and child care workers, with many in Indiana already making plans to get their shot at federal pharmacy program sites.

A recent Biden administration announcement means that educators can get vaccinated through federal pharmacy program sites -- in Indiana, that's Kroger, Meijer and Walmart.

The Indiana State Teachers Association surveyed more than 2,000 educators last fall, and roughly 70 percent said they're considering leaving the profession because of higher work demands.

Teachers and other Hoosiers throughout the state signed up for vaccine waitlists to receive unused vaccine doses and help avoid waste.

The Indiana House will soon weigh in on whether teachers need extra steps to authorize union dues taken from their paychecks, but it comes after the bill passed the Senate in an unusual way.