Little Rock, Arkansas – Arkansas education leaders have officially submitted a major new proposal to the U.S. Department of Education, outlining a plan that state officials say could reshape how public schools operate, report data, and manage federal requirements.
The proposal, titled “Reclaiming Arkansas Education,” aims to simplify what state leaders describe as a complex mix of overlapping state and federal rules. Instead of multiple reporting systems and compliance structures, the plan would create a single Arkansas-led framework for funding, testing, and accountability. Officials argue that this shift would reduce administrative work and allow schools to focus more directly on classroom instruction.
The announcement comes from the Arkansas Department of Education and is closely tied to broader education reforms already underway in the state. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders linked the proposal to the Arkansas LEARNS Act, the sweeping education law she signed in 2023 that has already changed funding formulas, teacher policies, and school accountability structures across Arkansas.
“When I signed Arkansas LEARNS three years ago, our state committed to putting students first, empowering parents, and supporting teachers so that Arkansas’ kids had every opportunity to succeed,” Sanders said in a statement. “We have made incredible progress so far, and the Reclaiming Arkansas Education plan will make sure we can keep moving forward.”
At the center of the proposal is a push to reduce what state officials describe as unnecessary duplication in reporting systems. Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva said districts are currently forced to navigate multiple layers of reporting that often measure the same data in different ways, creating a heavy administrative workload.
“For too long, Arkansas districts have spent valuable time and resources navigating overlapping, burdensome compliance requirements instead of focusing directly on students,” Oliva said.
Under the new plan, Arkansas would create one unified statewide system that covers funding distribution, student performance tracking, and school accountability. Officials say this would replace separate state and federal systems that currently operate side by side.
One of the most significant proposed changes involves how federal education dollars are used at the district level. The plan would give school districts more flexibility in deciding how to spend those funds, a move supporters say could help schools respond faster to local needs rather than follow rigid spending categories set at multiple levels of government.
Feedback from school districts included in the proposal suggests some local leaders already see potential benefits. Dr. Mickey McFetridge, finance director for Fayetteville Public Schools, noted that districts could gain more flexibility if funding rules are simplified. In public comments, he said districts could benefit if “the funding could remain the same, but the district would have latitude to focus on student needs as opposed to red tape.”
The proposal also targets standardized testing, particularly what state officials describe as redundant assessments. One example cited in the plan involves eighth-grade students enrolled in Algebra I. Currently, those students may be required to take both a general eighth-grade math test and an Algebra I exam. Under the proposed changes, a single assessment would count toward accountability measures, reducing what supporters call unnecessary testing pressure.
Jim Ford, director of the Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative, described the idea as practical in public comment, calling it “a very common-sense approach.”
Another major shift would combine state and federal accountability systems into a single reporting structure. Arkansas would rely on its updated state accountability framework as the main tool for evaluating school performance, rather than maintaining separate systems for different levels of government.
Support for that change was also reflected in comments from Claire Wilkinson, general counsel for Fayetteville Public Schools. She said multiple systems often create confusion for both educators and families trying to understand school performance. “I love the idea of one way of assessing student achievement and school performance,” Wilkinson said.
Despite the wide-ranging changes, state officials emphasized that core protections would remain in place. The Department of Education said civil rights requirements, funding protections for high-need students, and support systems for struggling schools would not be reduced under the proposal. Officials also confirmed that English language learners would continue receiving required instructional services and that student progress would still be monitored.
Before being sent to federal authorities, the proposal was opened for public review and comment. Now it enters a 120-day review process at the federal level, where officials will determine whether the plan can move forward.
If approved, Arkansas would begin implementing the unified system statewide, marking one of the most significant structural changes to its education system in years.
