The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has been granted Education Flexibility Program (Ed-Flex) authority from the United States Department of Education.

Ed-Flex is a program that allows the Secretary of Education to delegate to states with strong accountability safeguards the authority to waive certain federal education requirements that may, in particular instances, impede local efforts to reform and improve education, according to https://www2.ed.gov/programs/edflex/index.html.

The program is designed to help schools and districts carry out educational reforms and raise the achievement levels of all children by providing increased flexibility in implementing federal education programs in exchange for enhanced accountability for students' performance.

Ed-Flex isn’t a funding program. It is a program that delegates states the authority to grant waivers of certain federal requirements, the U.S. Department of Education stated.

KSDE applied to participate in the Ed-Flex program in March 2023 under the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999. KSDE’s Ed-Flex authority will extend through the 2023-2028 school years as long as KSDE continues to comply with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. KSDE is required to submit annual reports to the secretary on the results of the state educational agency’s (SEA’s) oversight of the Ed-Flex program and the impact of the waivers on school and student performance.

Ed-Flex Authority applies only to waivers sought by individual schools and school districts.