Iowa becomes first state approved for federal education waiver

Iowa became the first state in the nation to be approved for a sweeping federal education waiver that allows state leaders to bypass major federal compliance requirements and give the state more flexibility on how federal education money is spent, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) and Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced on Wednesday.

The approval positions Iowa as the national test case for the Trump administration’s effort to return greater control over education policy and funding from Washington to the states. The waiver allows Iowa to consolidate and manage 100% of its federal “state activities” education funding through a single block grant, significantly reducing reporting and paperwork requirements tied to federal dollars.