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The U.S. Department of Education has approved Arkansas’ Returning Education to the States waiver, giving state officials more control over how federal education dollars and accountability rules are handled.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the approval Tuesday. The action also includes the state’s application for Education Flexibility, or Ed-Flex, authority and changes to Arkansas’ federal accountability plan.
Under the waiver, the state Department of Education says it can combine four federal funding streams and steer more money toward classrooms. The plan also expands local spending flexibility for more rural districts, eases testing rules for students who take high school coursework early, and counts students in alternative learning environments with their home schools.
The waiver is part of a broader Trump administration effort to shrink the federal Education Department and shift authority to states. More than half a dozen states have sought similar flexibility.
Sanders said the approval gives the state “even more freedom to cut red tape” and put more education dollars into the classroom. She credited President Donald Trump and McMahon for trusting states to lead.
The state’s largest teachers group has criticized the effort. April Reisma, president of the Arkansas Education Association, has warned that loosening federal oversight could weaken protections for the state’s most vulnerable students.
State officials say the waivers do not reduce civil rights protections for English learners, funding for high-need students, or support for struggling schools.
Sanders signed the LEARNS Act in 2023, which expanded school choice and raised teacher pay. State officials point to this year’s ATLAS results, which they say show student proficiency rising more than 20% since 2024.
The changes are meant to take effect for the 2026-27 school year.
