Mark Jacobs moved back to Iowa with the intent to make the public education system in his home state one of the best in the country again.

Tuesday, he spoke to the Rotary Club of Newton about his non-partisan and non-profit organization Reaching Higher Iowa.

“I’m a little concerned. I think one of the challenges we have in the education system is too much direction from the state and federal government telling people how to do the job,” Jacobs said. “I get a little bit concerned when that translates into the state ought to mandate a certain way, to manage a pre-school type of program. One of things I believe is we have all different types of districts in this state and what works here in Newton may not work in Marshalltown or some of our more rural districts.”