Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona State Senate has disclosed that Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) lead to taxpayer savings. This announcement comes in the wake of Governor Katie Hobbs' (D-Ariz.) pledge to propose regulations for the ESA program in her State of the State Address.

According to a recent press release, the Arizona State Senate has disputed claims that ESAs are causing the funding gap issue in the state. They argue that Governor Hobbs and other Democrats are incorrectly attributing this problem to the program. The Senate maintains that ESAs contribute to taxpayer savings, stating, "ESAs save taxpayers thousands of dollars with each child who switches from a K-12 public school to an ESA voucher," as per an Arizona Senate Republicans press release posted on their X platform.

"Expanding the ESA program did not create this funding gap," said Sen. Janae Shamp (R-Ariz.), according to another press release by Arizona Senate Republicans posted on their X platform. "Overall spending in the K-12 school budget, which includes all ESA funding, is lower than projections. ESAs cost on average just $7500 per student, but students enrolled in public schools cost taxpayers more than $14,000 each."

Governor Hobbs has been critical of school choice, aiming to divert funding towards public schools and promising to repeal a significant school choice bill from July 2022. This bill broadened ESA access, allocating $7,000 per child for alternatives to public education. According to an article from Reason, the expansion of this program was one of the most substantial nationwide.

Arizona remains at the forefront as the number one state for education choice in the country for two consecutive years and holds second place for overall education freedom. The state promotes diverse learning environments such as private, charter, homeschooling and district schools. It provides ESAs for all grades and ensures accessibility for all families. An article from Goldwater Institute states that the ESA program in Arizona, with an enrollment of 70,000 students, surpasses all other states.

Shamp stated in another press release by Arizona Senate Republicans, "Taxpayers actually save money for each child who leaves a public school and enters the ESA program, but Democrats don't want the facts to get in the way of the controversy they've created and continue to feed to the media. It's frustrating and sad that the Left continues to attack the nearly 75,000 ESA families in Arizona who are using their own tax dollars to pay for the preferred learning environments their children have the greatest potential to succeed in. School choice is basic parental authority and a civil right."