Governor Kim Reynolds, along with U.S Secretary of Education and Iowa Department of Education Director, announced Iowa’s Unified Allocation Plan was the first in the nation approved for the “Returning Education to the States” federal waiver program. The announcement was made today (Wednesday) at a press conference held at Broadway Elementary School in Denison, being one of the more than 13,000 school districts in the nation to host U.S Secretary of Education Linda McMahon during her Returning Education to the States tour. Reynolds says with investment growth into education from the state, results show that 10th grade science has improved 11 percent, third grade literacy up three percent and chronic absenteeism in the past year has decline nearly ten percent, and Broadway Elementary is also reporting significant success in student learning.
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McMahon says thanks to leadership from Gov. Reynolds and Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow, the state shows significant growth while nationwide results decline. She says that is why Iowa is the first in the nation to be approved for these waivers.
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Snow says the waivers will be utilized to align federal resources by expanding local flexibility to best support students in need and rightsizing administrative workloads on compliance for fiscal and program reporting, to better use time to be put toward assisting teachers and students in their district. She says the state should be honored on this recognition but notes that it did not just happen.
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Snow and Reynolds say it’s exciting for Iowa to represent this work and to be the first in the nation to help forge the path to continue work to refocus federal resources on their true purpose, the success of all learners. Prior to the conference, Reynolds, McMahon, and Snow all took a tour of the newly renovated and the new addition to Broadway Elementary as well as observed classrooms to get a first hand look at student learning within the district.