PUBLIC NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT
Arkadelphia Public Schools' Ed-Flex Waiver Application
Arkadelphia Public Schools intends to apply to the Arkansas Department of Education for one or more waivers of federal requirements under the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 (20 U.S.C. § 5891b). Ed-Flex allows the Department to waive certain federal requirements for individual districts and schools so they can better meet local needs while remaining accountable for student performance. (See Commissioner's Memo COM-27-006.)
The district is requesting the following waiver: content-area spending apportionment {ESEA § 4106(e)}. This waives the required minimum percentages a district must spend across the well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and technology categories.
The district is asking that this requirement be waived so that each campus can prioritize its use of its funds for allowable expenditures for those three areas without being limited by percentage restrictions on the district. The district expects this waiver to result in increased opportunities for student achievement, for better preparation of college- and career-ready graduates, and to address safety and social/emotional learning for a better experience during the school day. These investments should be evident in greater student participation in related programs, in a greater sense of safety, in fewer discipline issues, and in greater attendance rates.
Parents, educators, school administrators, and other interested community members are invited to comment on this proposed waiver request.
Comments may be submitted to William Jeremy Bell, Director of Federal Programs, using this Google Form (link), by email at william.bell@arkadelphiaschools.org, by mail at P.O. Box 10 Arkadelphia AR 71923, or in person at 700 Clinton Street Dawson Building #3. Comments will be accepted from September 20, 2026, through September 29, 2026.
All comments received will be submitted to the Arkansas Department of Education with the district’s application.