Arizona Board Approves New ESA Handbook Amid Parental Concerns

News Summary

The Arizona State Board of Education has approved a revised Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) handbook with an 8-1 vote. Despite the approval, parents expressed significant concerns over ambiguous language and new guidelines that could affect educational expenses. Superintendent Tom Horne assured that safeguards for taxpayer funds are in place. The approval follows months of parental feedback, emphasizing the need for clarity in evaluations of educational expenses. This decision impacts over 90,000 students currently supported by the ESA program.

Phoenix, Arizona – The Arizona State Board of Education approved a new Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) handbook with a decisive 8-1 vote on Monday. This decision comes amid ongoing parental concerns regarding changes to the program, which has been a subject of contention for several months.

Parents attending the meeting voiced strong objections, urging the board to reject the proposed changes to the ESA handbook. Their concerns stemmed primarily from initial spending caps suggested in the draft reviewed earlier this year, which have since been eliminated. However, the board’s approval does not fully allay parental anxieties, as new language introduced in the handbook has been critiqued for its ambiguity, which may allow education staff wider discretion when approving expenses.

Superintendent Tom Horne emphasized that while the new handbook incorporates concessions, safeguards are in place to ensure that taxpayer funds are allocated strictly for valid educational purposes. The previous version of the handbook had not undergone updates since 2023, and while a revision was considered for 2024, the board opted to retain the older handbook after receiving extensive feedback from parents.

The latest draft of the handbook was initially posted in March, following which parents provided extensive feedback advocating for alterations. The removal of proposed spending caps was a significant point of compromise, but parents have since expressed dissatisfaction with the way new standards could be interpreted. The revised language states that the Department will evaluate and approve expenses based on their reasonable relation to educational or vocational purposes, but lacks clarity on what constitutes such relevance.

Concerns about potential repercussions have been raised by ESA parent Lynn Fox-Embrey, who highlighted fears of having to repay expenses that might subsequently be denied. Parents whose expenditures are denied are granted an option to appeal; however, many find the appeal process legally cumbersome. According to John Ward, executive director of the ESA program, past appeals have frequently been dismissed by administrative law judges, leaving parents unsure of their rights regarding financial accountability.

Some high-profile denials have included items such as a $16,000 cello and $4,000 bicycles, further intensifying dissatisfaction among participants in the ESA program. Moreover, an investigation has revealed incidents where ESA funds were misused for non-educational purchases, including private lessons and luxury items, amplifying calls for reform within the program.

Critics of the ESA also contend that the minimal adjustments to the universal ESA program since its inception are insufficient. Many parents have articulated fears that recent changes to the handbook could disproportionately affect students with disabilities, who often rely heavily on the support provided by ESAs.

The board’s decision was met with mixed reactions, and the only dissenting vote came from board president Katherine Haley, who expressed specific concerns about the language related to expense evaluations. The newly ratified handbook will serve as the governing document for the ESA program throughout the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.

The Arizona Department of Education reported that the ESA program currently supports over 90,000 students, a substantial increase from approximately 11,000 prior to the universal expansion of the program. This growth underscores the significance of the recent handbook approval and its implications for the future handling of ESA funds.

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• KTAR News: Empowerment Scholarship Account
• 12 News: Arizona Taxpayers Covering ESA Voucher Tab
• KVOA News: Defendants Sentenced in Scholarship Program Fraud
• ABC15: ESA Changes in Board of Education Meeting
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• Encyclopedia Britannica