Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The U.S. Department of Education approved Indiana's request on Tuesday to consolidate about $50 million of various federal funding streams over the next four years into a single pool of money.
The waiver lets the state combine portions of five federal programs it controls at the state level — covering assessments, teacher training, English language learners, student support and after-school programs — into one “block grant” it can spend more flexibly.
The state originally requested more funding requirements be loosened, including nearly $25 million in annual school improvement funds.
Indiana is now the third state to be exempt from certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA. Iowa and Louisiana also had similar waivers approved.
The move was praised by Indiana’s education leaders as a way of removing unnecessary bureaucracy from schools.
“This waiver allows Indiana to streamline federal requirements, reduce unnecessary red tape, put more resources directly into our classrooms, where they make the greatest difference,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said that Indiana’s work on the waiver, along with other recent changes to the state’s accountability systems, advances the federal government’s move to “return education to the states.”
“It's about breaking up the education bureaucracy in Washington D.C., a system that too often enriches adults while stifling progress for kids and empowering states to drive a new era of excellence for students across the country,” McMahon said on Tuesday during an event at Plainfield High School to announce the waiver.
McMahon, along with Jenner and Gov. Mike Braun, ceremoniously signed a document approving the waiver in the school’s atrium. The district, in Hendricks County, enrolls 6,000 students.
REPORTING: Caroline Beck
For the full story, go to the link in our bio.
#WFYINews #Indiana
The U.S. Department of Education approved Indiana's request on Tuesday to consolidate about $50 million of various federal funding streams over the next four years into a single pool of money.
The waiver lets the state combine portions of five federal programs it controls at the state level — covering assessments, teacher training, English language learners, student support and after-school programs — into one “block grant” it can spend more flexibly.
The state originally requested more funding requirements be loosened, including nearly $25 million in annual school improvement funds.
Indiana is now the third state to be exempt from certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA. Iowa and Louisiana also had similar waivers approved.
The move was praised by Indiana’s education leaders as a way of removing unnecessary bureaucracy from schools.
“This waiver allows Indiana to streamline federal requirements, reduce unnecessary red tape, put more resources directly into our classrooms, where they make the greatest difference,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said that Indiana’s work on the waiver, along with other recent changes to the state’s accountability systems, advances the federal government’s move to “return education to the states.”
“It's about breaking up the education bureaucracy in Washington D.C., a system that too often enriches adults while stifling progress for kids and empowering states to drive a new era of excellence for students across the country,” McMahon said on Tuesday during an event at Plainfield High School to announce the waiver.
McMahon, along with Jenner and Gov. Mike Braun, ceremoniously signed a document approving the waiver in the school’s atrium. The district, in Hendricks County, enrolls 6,000 students.
REPORTING: Caroline Beck
For the full story, go to the link in our bio.
#WFYINews #Indiana
