The Trump administration is making good on its promise to return control of education to the states, granting a record 18 Ed-Flex waivers, allowing states discretion in how they use federal funds.
The waivers release states from “rigid spending caps” on academic enrichment money and other federal requirements. The Department of Education, which announced the exemptions, also sent a letter to state education departments encouraging them to transfer funds between eligible programs and allow small, rural school districts to use certain federal funds more freely.
The additional flexibility “marks another bold step forward in strengthening states’ ability to fully harness the flexibilities already at their fingertips in support of better serving students, families, educators, and communities,” said Kirsten Baesler, assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“With a record 18 states now taking advantage of Ed-Flex authority, we urge state leaders to build on this momentum by adopting forward-leaning strategies that move decision-making closer to the classroom and elevate the power of local leadership,” Baesler added.
Since resuming office, President Donald Trump has pushed to return education authority to the states and dismantle the federal Education Department, which was created under President Jimmy Carter and largely viewed as a gift to teachers’ unions.
Trump signed an executive order last spring to dismantle the department and empower “parents, states and communities” through flexibility, school choice and other reforms.
The waivers do not change how much funding states receive, only how the money is spent. Both red and blue states are using Ed-Flex authority, including Florida and Illinois.
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas praised the waiver approval, saying “states now have greater flexibility to ensure federal funds are directed to where they matter most, supporting students, empowering teachers, and strengthening learning in the classroom.”
The vast majority of states – 45 – have requested flexibility in how they use Every Student Succeeds Act funds, with states including Iowa, Ohio and New York receiving approval.
Those waivers grant exemptions from certain federal testing requirements and flexibility in using funds for states that demonstrate alternative plans to accomplish similar goals.
“The Trump administration’s goal is to improve academic achievement, particularly by strengthening literacy and numeracy instruction, empowering parental decision-making, and returning education to the states,” the department said in a July letter to state education leaders. “Encouraging innovation among States is a critical step to achieving those goals.”
The 18 states approved for waivers are:
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
