Governor Sanders Announces Federal Approval of Arkansas’ Returning Education to the States Waiver

Approval gives Arkansas greater flexibility to reduce bureaucracy, empower local schools, and put more education dollars into classrooms

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to announce that the U.S. Department of Education has approved Arkansas' Returning Education to the States Waiver, along with the state's application for Ed-Flex authority and amendments to its federal accountability plan.

The approvals give Arkansas greater flexibility to reduce unnecessary federal bureaucracy, streamline education funding, strengthen accountability, and give local schools more authority to meet the needs of their students.

Through the waiver, the Arkansas Department of Education can consolidate multiple federal funding streams, allowing the state to direct more resources toward student achievement instead of administrative requirements. The waiver also expands flexibility for rural school districts, supports accelerated learning opportunities for advanced students, and improves accountability by more accurately measuring long-term outcomes for students in alternative learning environments.

"Arkansas has proven that when you trust parents, empower teachers, and put students ahead of bureaucracy, kids succeed," said Governor Sanders. "This approval gives us even more freedom to cut red tape, put education dollars where they belong-in the classroom-and continue building the best education system in America. I appreciate President Trump and Secretary McMahon for trusting states like Arkansas to lead."

"Arkansas is doing exactly what returning education to the states is meant to accomplish: giving students a better shot at success by trusting the people closest to them," said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. "This flexibility not only prevents dollars from getting lost in bureaucracy - it opens real opportunities for Arkansas students who are ready to move ahead, strengthens schools that want to strategically leverage every federal dollar, and makes sure every child is supported no matter where they start. Congratulations to Arkansas leaders, students, and families on this giant leap forward to bolster education in every community."

"Today, Arkansas is reclaiming education - and we're grateful to have a friendly administration that empowers states to lead," said Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva. "For far too long, Arkansas was buried under duplicative federal systems that wasted taxpayer dollars and robbed our state and districts of flexibility and innovation. That era is over. Under the Reclaiming Arkansas Education plan, Arkansas will lean on the blueprint provided in the LEARNS Act. ATLAS data proves LEARNS is working, and now - thanks to this administration's willingness to empower the states - Arkansas will be able to better support our most vulnerable students."

Under the Returning Education to the States Waiver, Arkansas will:

• Consolidate four federal funding streams, giving the state greater flexibility in how federal education dollars are used.
• Expand Alternative Fund Use Authority to additional rural school districts, allowing more local leaders to determine how federal funds are best spent.
• Support advanced students by simplifying accountability requirements for those who complete high school coursework before entering high school.
• Improve accountability by allowing students educated in alternative learning environments to be counted with their home school, creating a more accurate picture of long-term student outcomes.

Governor Sanders signed the LEARNS Act in 2023 to transform Arkansas' education system with a laser focus on student success. Since then, Arkansas has expanded school choice, raised teacher pay to lead the nation, deployed literacy coaches and high-impact tutoring, strengthened accountability, and empowered parents with more educational opportunities than ever before.

Those reforms are already producing measurable results. This year's ATLAS assessment showed student proficiency increasing across every grade level and every subject, with proficiency rising more than 20% statewide since 2024.

The approval allows Arkansas to continue aligning federal education programs with the state's student-first approach by cutting red tape, expanding local flexibility, and strengthening accountability. It gives school districts greater freedom to invest resources where they're needed most, supports students pursuing advanced coursework, and ensures the state's accountability system more accurately reflects student success.

The Arkansas Department of Education's announcement of the Returning Education to the States waiver proposal is available here.

Arkansas' full Returning Education to the States waiver submission is available here.

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