Grand Canyon Times

The number of Arizona students participating in the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program has reached 50,000, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

"Arizona's first in the nation universal ESA officially hit 50,000 participants today! #EducationForAll," tweeted the department.

The growth comes despite the fact that, as the Grand Canyon Times previously reported, Gov. Katie Hobbs' recently proposed budget includes a repeal of the program. 

Steve Smith, Arizona state director of the American Federation for Children, previously told the Grand Canyon Times that, "The ESA program is designed to provide education equality to all students as they receive the same amount of funding. This is a dream come true to so many low-income and minority families [who] have typically been those disenfranchised the most."

According to the American Federation for Children website, the organization "seeks to empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best K-12 education for their children." Smith served as an Arizona State Senator for eight years, where he served as Chairman of the Commerce and Public Safety/Military Committee and as a member of the Senate Education Committee.

If Hobbs' efforts to repeal the program were successful, Smith said, "families would have their education of choice ripped away from them, including special needs and disadvantaged families."

“Not only that, but in the wake of COVID-19, which has robbed children of their learning due to school closures, now more than ever, parents need choices to help them to recover from the learning loss their children experienced," he said.

On July 7, 2022, previous Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. According to the Arizona Department of Education, the ESA program expands educational opportunities for eligible students outside of the public school system; provides public funding that can be used for a wide variety of educational expenses; and pays for private school tuition, educational therapies, tutoring, and more.

Hobbs was elected governor in the November 8, 2022 election, receiving 50% of the vote to Republican challenger Kari Lake's 49%. Hobbs served as Arizona Secretary of State from 2019-2023 and is a former member of the Arizona State Senate and Arizona House of Representatives.

She received a bachelor's degree in social work from Northern Arizona University and a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University. Hobbs and her husband, Patrick, have two children and reside in Phoenix.