Grand Canyon Times

Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee (R-Ariz.) criticized Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) after the governor declared a $50 million school choice grant "illegal and invalid."

“Governor Hobbs has just denied thousands of Arizona kids access to kindergarten through this politically driven and belligerent decision," said Yee in a statement. "As has become the norm for this governor, my office first learned of her action through a press release prior to receiving the letter, and we have yet to receive any communication from the Governor or her team on this matter other than the letter. Our legal team is currently reviewing the lawfulness of the governor’s move and determining next steps.”

The $50 million grant was issued by former Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to the Office of the State Treasurer, and was meant to fund all-day kindergarten for recipients of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.  

On May 25, Hobbs, issued a press release calling the grant "illegal and invalid" and vowing to find "alternatives" for use of the funding. 

“It is clear Governor Hobbs does not care about what is best for Arizona kids or respect the rights of parents to determine the best environment to educate their child," said Yee. "Instead, she is using these children as pawns in a desperate and transparent attempt to win back support from union bosses and her ultra-progressive base. Educational choice is the civil rights issue of our time, and unfortunately, Governor Hobbs thinks she knows better than parents. I fundamentally disagree, and so do Arizona families.”

In 2011, Arizona became the first state to create an ESA program. It later expanded that to a universal program through a law signed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey in July 2022. 

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

ESAs, according to Smith, allow many low-income students to attend schools they normally could not attend otherwise, creating “equality.”

Following a legal challenge to the program, the Arizona Supreme Court essentially declared ESAs constitutional in 2014, when the Court deemed those challenging the program were unable to show harm. There are now 11 states that have ESA programs.

According to the Arizona Department of Education website, "56,912 Arizona Students benefit from an" ESA as of May 22, 2023.