This week, ABC-15’s “Data Guru” Garrett Archer and reporter Melissa Blasius issued a staggering expose on Arizona’s ESA voucher program and showcased the rampant misuse of taxpayer funds under the program.
The three-part series provided in-depth analysis of ESA voucher expenditures for the 2022-23 school year, during which time Arizona taxpayers unwittingly paid $587 million for the voucher program. In their analysis, ABC15 found:
This list barely scratches the surface of what Supt. Horne’s ADE is permitting as allowable “educational” expenses. It’s critical to recognize the two-tiered system of haves and have-nots vouchers are creating. Our public schools (which the legislature is constitutionally mandated to fund) are forced to scrounge for resources to the point that teachers and parents are crowdfunding for basics like printer paper and tissues. When field trips do occur, it’s due to tireless grant writing and arduous fundraising. When extra “bells and whistles” are purchased for schools, they benefit large numbers of students for many years — and the money that makes those extra items possible often doesn’t come from state funding, but from local dollars and separate fundraisers.
Here’s a rundown of what ABC15 found about how ESA voucher dollars were spent last school year:
Superintendent Horne’s newly appointed ESA Director John Ward attempted to justify the expenditures described in this report, saying “The vast majority of purchases that are coming through are completely allowable.” Ward said, explaining that a $4,000 piano expenditure was “absolutely allowable.”
Ward went on to explain that as long as a family submits “curriculum” to justify an expense, it’s considered educational — including 77 transactions for luxury car driving lessons averaging $835 each. “The ESA program is not going to regulate where parents should seek services for their children, including driving schools,” Ward said. “While you may think this may not be a good use of that family’s ESA funding, at the end of the day, they get a fixed amount of money, and if that’s how they’re going to choose to use it, that’s their prerogative.”
An “education program” that is wholly unconcerned with lax expenditures and frivolous tax-dollar waste can only be called one thing: a grift. We call on our state lawmakers to respect Arizona taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars and rein in this mismanaged program that is actively hurting our local public schools.
This week, ABC-15’s “Data Guru” Garrett Archer and reporter Melissa Blasius issued a staggering expose on Arizona’s ESA voucher program and showcased the rampant misuse of taxpayer funds under the program.
The three-part series provided in-depth analysis of ESA voucher expenditures for the 2022-23 school year, during which time Arizona taxpayers unwittingly paid $587 million for the voucher program. In their analysis, ABC15 found:
This list barely scratches the surface of what Supt. Horne’s ADE is permitting as allowable “educational” expenses. It’s critical to recognize the two-tiered system of haves and have-nots vouchers are creating. Our public schools (which the legislature is constitutionally mandated to fund) are forced to scrounge for resources to the point that teachers and parents are crowdfunding for basics like printer paper and tissues. When field trips do occur, it’s due to tireless grant writing and arduous fundraising. When extra “bells and whistles” are purchased for schools, they benefit large numbers of students for many years — and the money that makes those extra items possible often doesn’t come from state funding, but from local dollars and separate fundraisers.
Here’s a rundown of what ABC15 found about how ESA voucher dollars were spent last school year:
Superintendent Horne’s newly appointed ESA Director John Ward attempted to justify the expenditures described in this report, saying “The vast majority of purchases that are coming through are completely allowable.” Ward said, explaining that a $4,000 piano expenditure was “absolutely allowable.”
Ward went on to explain that as long as a family submits “curriculum” to justify an expense, it’s considered educational — including 77 transactions for luxury car driving lessons averaging $835 each. “The ESA program is not going to regulate where parents should seek services for their children, including driving schools,” Ward said. “While you may think this may not be a good use of that family’s ESA funding, at the end of the day, they get a fixed amount of money, and if that’s how they’re going to choose to use it, that’s their prerogative.”
An “education program” that is wholly unconcerned with lax expenditures and frivolous tax-dollar waste can only be called one thing: a grift. We call on our state lawmakers to respect Arizona taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars and rein in this mismanaged program that is actively hurting our local public schools.
Voter Registration Training – Tuesday, October 17 @ 3pm – Register HERE!
Yuma Rural Action Summit – November 4 – Mark “Going” HERE!
Have you signed the AZ Loves Public Schools Pledge yet? Be part of our growing community of public school supporters, sign the pledge and then share with your friends! Also check out our map of Arizona’s public school supporters and help us fill it in!
Don’t forget to join us on social media. Pick your favorite(s) and join us for fun, engaging content!! This is where we post important updates, key news articles, and informative graphics and videos you can’t get anywhere else.
On Monday, SOSAZ delivered an urgent memo to Arizona state leaders detailing massive overspending in the ESA voucher program, demanding they find a solution before ESA vouchers bankrupt our state. In just 3 months, irresponsible and unaccountable ESA vouchers have blown through their entire annual budget for the 2023-24 school year, and are projected to cause a budget-busting $300 million shortfall by June.
In May, SOSAZ warned that voucher costs would far exceed the AZ Leg’s $624 million appropriation for this year. As of today, the ESA voucher program is $23 million in the red; the program’s cost is currently growing by $7 million per week, or $30 million per month.
By the end of this school year, the ESA voucher costs are on track to be 47.5% over budget. No other state program has unbudgeted costs snowballing so dramatically. The harsh reality is that, with the Ducey flat tax in place, Arizona has no surplus funds left to cover these exploding costs.
We call upon our elected officials to urgently develop a plan to address this massive overspending. Yet, the Republican-controlled legislature seems to have no desire to focus on a strategic plan for covering these skyrocketing costs, instead relying on a sham “oversight” committee to examine costs divorced from solutions. Our leaders cannot continue sticking their heads in the sand; it is far past time to find a solution to the out-of-control costs of ESA vouchers.
Read our full memo to state leaders here.
Vote YES for AZ Kids! This November 7 marks a critical election for Arizona students across the state, as many bond and override measures will be on the 2023 ballot! Here’s what to do:
What are bonds & overrides? Bonds and overrides are voter-approved initiatives that generate additional tax revenue to fund desperately needed projects and operations for local school districts.
Arizona’s economy needs strong public schools, and that takes resources. Bonds and overrides are tools that our local communities can use to provide funds for their local schools above and beyond the paltry amount the state provides. Most bonds and override measures on the ballot are continuations, so they do not create new taxes. In 2021, most bonds and overrides added under $300 to the average homeowner’s annual bill, making them an excellent investment in local children’s education.
Every vote counts! Over the last several years, dozens of bond and override elections across the state passed or failed by the tiniest of margins. In 2019, six bonds and overrides didn’t pass by a margin of just a few hundred votes – and 75% of voters failed to return a ballot.
Override questions will appear on your ballot as “budget increase, yes” or “budget increase, no.” (While it says increase, it may actually be a continuation from a previous override, not an actual increase on your tax bill.) Bond questions will appear on your ballot as “bond approval, yes” and “bond approval, no.”
Vote YES on all measures!
Check out some incredible pictures and stories from across the state that make us #PublicSchoolProud!
Congratulations to Arizona’s 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools! The National Blue Ribbon award is given to “exemplary high-performing schools.” Way to go to these public district schools!
For the first time, Andrada High School’s Automotive program will have a pit crew challenge team made up entirely of young women! Best of luck to Lauren Hartzell, Lindsey Hurley, Ainslie Lowe and Sasha Lewis at their competition on October 14.
In Tucson, Davis Bilingual Magnet School celebrated Noche de Aguilitas with food, festivities, and mariachi.
Voter Registration Training – Tuesday, October 17 @ 3pm – Register HERE!
Yuma Rural Action Summit – November 4 – Mark “Going” HERE!
Have you signed the AZ Loves Public Schools Pledge yet? Be part of our growing community of public school supporters, sign the pledge and then share with your friends! Also check out our map of Arizona’s public school supporters and help us fill it in!
Don’t forget to join us on social media. Pick your favorite(s) and join us for fun, engaging content!! This is where we post important updates, key news articles, and informative graphics and videos you can’t get anywhere else.
AZ Loves Public Schools Car Magnets & Yard Signs!
Be the first to order HERE!
Note: Yard signs are currently available only in Maricopa, Pima, and Yavapai Counties where our field team can personally deliver. Check back for more counties soon!
Don’t forget your red #PublicSchoolProud shirt – order HERE. We’re still offering 2 shirts for your donation of $30, or one for an $18 donation. Wear Public School Proud gear to show your dedication to well-funded public education in Arizona!
Sign up for a Community Action Team: East Valley, West Valley & North Phoenix, Scottsdale & Paradise Valley, Central & South Phoenix, Northern Arizona, and Southern Arizona! Your local coordinators will help you with using Request to Speak and contacting your lawmakers.
Request an SOSAZ Education Roadshow presentation HERE
Sign up to automatically receive the SOSAZ Legislative Weekly Report HERE
