Jenny Clark, Jenny Clark, a member of the Arizona State Board of Education | X
Jenny Clark, Jenny Clark, a member of the Arizona State Board of Education | X
Jenny Clark, a member of the Arizona State Board of Education, said actions like those by Arizonans for Public Schools who wrote a check to pressure Dream City Church to pay the state back for any ESA program money used for academics has "the potential to incite violence towards schools and churches."
"These types of attacks on Christians and faith based schools from Randy Parraz and groups like Arizonans for Public Schools have the potential to incite violence towards schools and churches who are educating Arizona kids," Clark said in a post on X. "These schools accept ESA/ STOs. Shameful behavior."
Arizonans for Public Schools posted on Facebook that they "sent a special delegation to visit Pastor Luke Barnett at Dream City Church to ask him to return the $2 million Dream City Schools have received from the voucher scam program."
Dream City Church operates Dream City Christian School, a private school with an accredited K-12 location in Glendale and accredited K-8 location in Scottsdale that serves over 600 families in the area.
Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program provides scholarship money to all Arizona families to help them pursue and afford flexible options for their children's education. 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.
“With the ESA program, the money that would pay for that student’s education in a neighborhood school follows that student to whichever school the parents choose for their child, including education at home,” says the Arizona Department of Education website. “ESA dollars cover multiple education expenses such as private school tuition, curricula, educational supplies, tutoring and more.”
Operating in Arizona, West Virginia, and Alabama, Clark's non-profit, Love Your School, assists families in finding educational environments that align with their values and needs, offering guidance on school searches, special education evaluations and parental rights.
Clark, an Arizona native and mother of five, founded Love Your School in 2019.
Beyond her advocacy through Love Your School, Clark's influence extends to various educational initiatives. Her efforts have earned recognition, including a commendation from Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and fellowships with organizations like 50CAN and Club For Growth.
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