An Early Example
One state that wasted no time in submitting a waiver request is Indiana. Officials for the state’s Department of Education stated that they are attempting to “reduce federal red tape and increase state-level control over how federal education funds are used.” In the formal waiver request, the department stated that they are attempting to return to the flexibility of federal funds under the pandemic education relief bill, ESSER, which provided block grants to states.
Specifically, Indiana’s waiver request seeks to roll several of ESEA’s Titles into a single block grant, rather than have them used exclusively for their current purposes. For instance, Title III funds, which are specifically for educating EL students, would be combined with Title I funds for low-income students. The request claims that this will reduce the administrative burden on the state and school districts, saving more money for educational purposes. In theory, this may be true. Many schools that serve students under Title III are also Title I schools. This consolidation, if done correctly, could streamline service delivery and ease administrative costs. It could also save money to be used for innovative practices that help students achieve benchmarks that were previously not reached.
The potential for harm to specific groups, however, is high. Block grants such as these can result in diversion of funds from underserved populations such as students with disabilities to those who already have resources available to them. This can also result in reduced oversight, as reporting structures become less transparent as standardization erodes.
