Before you Apply for a Waiver, Try Super App

Hi all, Kunjan here.

With the approval of Iowa’s new federal waiver last month, I’ve been hearing from a growing number of state leaders asking the same question: Should we do this too?

The Iowa waiver is the first approved under the Trump administration’s push to “return education to the states,” and federal leaders, led by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, have been quick to position it as a model for others. 

But before more states rush down the waiver path, it’s worth slowing down and asking a more basic, and more important, question: What problem are we actually trying to solve? 

The Iowa waiver, in context

Iowa’s ability to get this across the finish line first isn’t surprising: the state has consistently shown real urgency around improving outcomes for kids, from literacy to accountability and assessment to professional learning.

Their waiver allows the state to combine four federal funding streams for state-level activities into a single consolidated fund, rather than managing them as separate programs. State leaders, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, have pointed to the waiver’s consolidation of more than $9 million in federal state-level funds through FY 2028.

We’re all for consolidating multiple streams of money in service of priorities, but Iowa spends roughly $7 billion a year on education. The funds covered by the waiver represent about a very small percent of the total, and they don’t touch the federal programs that most directly shape district budgets, like Title I or IDEA. All states have flexibilities within these large programs that they are not yet fully taking advantage of.

If you’re a leader in another state about to dive into a waiver application, it’s worth pausing to ask what you’re really trying to accomplish—and whether you’ve exhausted the flexibility already at your disposal before committing to a long, time-consuming waiver process.

Flexibility is not the first problem to solve. Focus is.

Many times districts ask for more flexibility when that’s not actually what they need.

In most cases, districts are struggling to invest in priorities because the priorities are spread across too many programs and initiatives, no clear signal from the state about what should come first, and no guidance on how dollars should be deployed in service of those priorities.

State education agencies (SEAs) are more than just ATMs for school districts. One of their most important jobs is helping districts stay focused on the right instructional priorities and incentivize the right choices. Districts cannot operate effectively when they are being given 50 different signals about what matters most. 

Why a Super App may be the better move.

Waivers and funding flexibility are tools, not strategies. The mistake states often make is starting with how — How do we combine funds? How do we loosen requirements? How do we reduce paperwork? — before being clear on what: What do we actually want to change for kids? And what does it actually take to make that change happen, and how can we use the funding we already have to support it?

If a state’s goal is to actually steer districts toward better student outcomes, a Super App is the better option. “Super App” is what we called it in Louisiana, but we’re talking about a unified application that simplifies all the grant streams that districts receive from states. Arkansas and New Mexico both operate their own Super Apps, and Oregon and South Carolina are working on their own versions.

In every other state, school districts are managing dozens of grant applications with different requirements, budget cycles, and deadlines. This structure is flawed in a number of ways, but I will name the most important one: It splits the district’s focus.     

A federal waiver might give districts more flexibility, but more flexibility won’t solve a focus problem. 

A Super App, on the other hand, creates focus. Instead of submitting dozens of plans and dozens of budgets to different state grant offices, districts submit one plan and one budget to one state grant office.  

When we rolled out the Super App in Louisiana, the state saw near-universal adoption of high-quality instructional materials and aligned professional learning, something that years of added flexibility failed to deliver. By giving state and district leaders a shared understanding of how all funding worked together, we made real progress on our shared vision for kids.  

Before states ask for more flexibility, they need to be clear about what they’re trying to achieve. Federal waivers can be a quick option in the short term, but they will never deliver the same results as a state with a Super App and a vision. Given a choice between the two, we would choose a Super App every time.

Let’s get muddy

• Previous Delta: ESSER is ending. Here’s one big thing any state leader can do to make education spending more efficient.
• Louisiana’s Playbook to Get One Budget, One Plan for Kids
• Previous Delta: Louisiana’s story isn’t perfect, but it is replicable.

AND: Join Watershed Advisors early childhood expert Nasha Patel on Tuesday (2/10) at 1:00 ET for “How State Education Systems Really Work,” a virtual fireside chat with Elliot Regenstein , author of the new book Readiness; Albert Wat , Deputy Director of Advocacy and Impact for the Alliance for Early Success ; and Sarah Neville-Morgan , Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Early Childhood at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) . 

Click here to save your seat.