After taking public comment for less than two weeks last month, a waiver request from the Iowa Department of Education aimed at reducing bureaucratic hurdles for districts has yet to be approved.
The proposal covers multiple areas of funding through the U.S. Department of Education and includes a request that school districts receive federal dollars in the form of a block grant, which could come with fewer strings attached.
Advocacy groups warn the waiver would remove necessary guardrails and accountability measures for federal funds, while superintendents say the lack of detail about the plan makes it hard to predict how it could affect their districts…