Photo provided/Courtesy of AED
The most recent fiscal year ended with a surplus of more than $4 million.
Article contributed by AED
PHOENIX – State Superintendent Tom Horn said the myth that the Empowerment Scholarship Program was a threat to Arizona's budget has been completely shattered.
In fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, state base aid payments to district and charter school instructional and ESA programs ended $4.3 million below budget.
“The surplus of more than $4 million is clear evidence that critics who have argued that the ESA program would devastate not just our state education budget, but our entire budget, have always been wrong. That has always been a myth, and that myth has now been completely shattered,” Horn said.
He added, “The budget numbers are hard facts and do not stand up to the political posturing that ESA critics have consistently and erroneously cast on the program. Universal ESA scholarships are a key part of allowing parents to choose the school that best meets their child's needs. For example, we have a family with three children. Two are doing well in the neighborhood public school, but the third's needs are not being met. ESA allows parents to find a school that meets the needs of their third child. Is there anyone too steeped in ideology to give parents that opportunity?”
He concluded: “Having options like charter schools, public school open enrollment and ESAs are valuable tools for Arizona parents. As today's announcement shows, these options have no impact on the budget deficit, which is the result of overly optimistic projections of state revenues. ESAs allow parents to find the best school to meet their child's needs, and no reasonable person should be opposed to this.”