(The Center Square) – Arizona Public Schools Superintendent Tom Horn today announced that total state education spending for fiscal year 2024 came in below budget and disputed claims that the ESA program is a threat to the state budget.
Total education spending for fiscal year 2024 came in $4.3 million below budget, according to a Department of Education news release.
“The surplus of more than $4 million is clear evidence that critics who have argued that the ESA program would devastate not just the state's education budget, but the entire budget, have always been wrong,” Horn said. “That's always been a myth, and that myth has now been completely shattered.”
Arizona Democrats have long called for increased oversight of the ESA program, and in preparation for a Democratic majority next year, they have drafted several bills, including one aimed at auditing the program.
The ESA package was introduced by Gov. Katie Hobbs, Senate Democratic Leader Mitch Epstein and House Democratic Leader Lupe Contreras, and will increase “accountability and transparency in the ESA voucher program,” according to a news release from the governor's office.
This includes fingerprinting, background checks and increased financial responsibility.
“Arizona residents have a right to know that their taxpayer dollars are going to the education Arizona children deserve, not driving lessons in fancy cars, ski trips and tickets to water parks,” Hobbs said. “We must bring accountability and transparency to our ESA program. This plan will ensure student safety, provide parents and students with enough information to make informed educational choices, and protect taxpayer dollars. It's simple: we need accountability for government spending, and all schools that receive taxpayer money should be held to basic educational and student safety standards.”
The bill failed to pass the legislative session.
However, while the approved fiscal year 2025 state budget implements enhanced safeguards for the ESA program, it does not reduce the amount of taxpayer funds spent on the program.
“I am most proud of the fact that this budget fully protects the state's universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, which provides educational freedom to Arizona families,” said House Speaker Ben Toma in an Arizona House news release. “Democrats have long vowed to dismantle this program, and as a proponent of universal ESA expansion, I would never allow that to happen. Eligibility for the program remains unchanged, and we include several smart, commonsense reforms that improve and strengthen accountability for this popular school choice program.”
Reforms include requiring the Department of Education to use risk-based audits of programs, implementing fingerprinting requirements for private educators and allowing parents to plan for the next school year by applying early while preserving the ability to receive reimbursement for approved fees.
Horn emphasized the importance of the ESA program to Arizonans.
“Universal ESA scholarships are an important part of allowing parents to choose the school that best meets their child's needs,” Horn said in a Department of Education news release. “For example, say you have a family with three children. Two are doing well in their neighborhood public school, but the needs of the third are not being met. ESAs allow parents to find a school that meets the needs of their third child. Who would be so immersed in ideology that they wouldn't give parents that opportunity?”
According to the 2024 report, $6,309,352,100 was appropriated for education funding, and only $6,305,050,851.55 was appropriated, leaving a surplus of $4,301,248.45.
“Having options like charter schools, public school open enrollment and ESAs are valuable tools for Arizona parents,” Horn said in a news release. “As today's announcement shows, these options have no impact on the budget deficit, which was created by overly optimistic state revenue projections. ESAs allow parents to find the school that best meets their child's needs, and no reasonable person would object to this.”