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Trying to give the government control over private schools isn’t going to protect students. It will only intimidate private schools and cause them to opt out of the ESA program — or make them just as inefficient and ineffective as public schools.
Arizona was the first state to implement universal school choice after seeing tremendous results with its Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), yet after seeing rising demand for the scholarships, the governor is now seeking to restrict them.
Gov. Katie Hobbs, D, unveiled her new plan yesterday for what she claims is accountability and transparency for ESAs, which grant students up to $7,000 for educational expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring, and more. The plan would require schools that accept ESA funding to adhere to many of the same standards as public schools.
Critics claim Hobbs is trying to crush the popular program.
The proposal would require fingerprinting and background checks for private and charter school staff; services for students with disabilities that adhere to an individualized learning plan; manual approval of any purchases of over $500; for private schools to have minimum education standards; and for students to attend public schools for 100 days before being able to use ESA funding. In addition, the plan would expand the power of the auditor-general to monitor how ESA money is spent by private schools and prohibit private schools from raising the cost of tuition and fees at a faster rate than the rate of inflation.
“The ESA program lacks accountability and transparency,” Hobbs said in a press release. “With this plan, we can keep students safe, protect taxpayer dollars, and give parents and students the information they need to make an informed choice about their education. Arizonans deserve to know their money is being spent on educating students, not on handouts to unaccountable schools and unvetted vendors for luxury spending.”
Hobbs has been a fierce opponent of the voucher program since before she was governor.
Arizona implemented tax credit scholarships in 1997, and in 2011 became the first state to implement education savings accounts. The success of Arizona’s school choice initiative is apparent as the state has led the nation in gains on the National Assessment of Education Progress over the past two decades. Despite Hobb’s claims that the program will “bankrupt” the state, ESA funding actually costs the state far less per student than public education.
Following the success of ESAs and the growing thirst for universal school choice, Arizona expanded the program to all students in July 2022. The number of students using it skyrocketed, and there are now nearly 73,000 students enrolled in the ESA program.
Jenny Clark became an advocate for the program after having to find an alternative to public schools for her three children with special needs. Clark had sharp criticism for Hobbs’ proposal. “When we choose to leave a public school, accept an empowerment scholarship for our children’s education, we are now saying, ‘We know what we want. We’re going to choose this private school that may or may not have certain services,’” Clark argued.
“That’s an attempt by Gov. Hobbs to try to hyper-regulate private schools, stifle competition, turn them into public schools, discourage private schools from participating in the empowerment scholarships. And Arizona families do not co-parent with Katie Hobbs.”
Hobbs’ plan is expected to meet strong opposition in the legislature, including from House Speaker Ben Toma, who said, “Empowerment Scholarship Accounts are wildly popular with Arizona parents because they leverage private sector solutions to offer the best educational opportunities for their children.”
Some critics of Hobbs’ plan say it is unnecessary. As the Goldwater Institute noted, private schools already implement fingerprinting and background check requirements.
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said in a statement, “My job is to administer the ESA program in line with state law, and if changes are made the Department of Education will follow them. However, one proposal stands out because it’s already in place: The governor recommends a manual review of ESA purchases over $500. My office already reviews all expense requests regardless of amount, unlike the previous superintendent who approved many frivolous requests.”
He noted, “In 2023, we rejected several thousand ESA applications for lack of adequate documentation and suspended almost 2,200 accounts totaling $21 million because the student was enrolled in a public school. We’ve also rejected more than 12,000 ESA purchase order requests.”
Parents are passionate about school choice and increasingly choose private schools, charter schools, or homeschooling precisely because the public school system has failed their children. Trying to give the government control over private schools isn’t going to protect students but will instead intimidate private schools out of the ESA program — or make them just as inefficient and ineffective as public schools.
This is likely Hobbs’ intent. School choice haters don’t want choice. Like the teachers’ unions, they want a monopoly. They want students to attend only public schools, where the government can indoctrinate students rather than educate them and continue the grift that has become endemic to our public school system.
This has nothing to do with responsibility to the taxpayer or giving children the best education possible. Arizona has proven that ESAs help students meet their educational needs and goals. Further, the program is a huge hit with Arizona parents and taxpayers. Why in the world would anyone want to mess with such clear success?
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