Anti-school choice advocates have argued for years that universal school choice through Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program would break the bank, but recently released data shows it is running far under budget.
According to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, the “myth that the Empowerment Scholarship Program was ever a threat to Arizona’s budget has been thoroughly demolished.”
For Fiscal Year 2024, which ended on June 30, the Basic State Aid payments for education programs at district and charter schools as well as the ESA program finished the year $4.3 million under budget.
State Representative Steve Montenegro, a longtime proponent of school choice and ESAs, welcomed the news, but said he was not surprised by it. “Giving parents the options and control they need to get the best education is always the right thing to do, regardless of cost. But the fact that the projections were correct and these programs improve education outcomes while saving taxpayer money is certainly icing on the cake.”
“Having a surplus of more than $4 million is proof positive that the critics who have claimed the ESA program will bust the not only the state’s education budget but the entire budget itself were always wrong,” said Horne. “It was always a myth, and that myth is utterly demolished.”
“Budget figures are stubborn facts and they do not stand up to the political posturing that ESA critics have consistently and wrongly thrown at the program. The universal ESA scholarships are a vital part of making sure that parents are able to choose the schools that best fit the needs of their children. For example, we have families with three children. Two are doing fine in the neighborhood public school, but the needs of the third are not being met,” explained Horne. “ESAs enable the parents to find a school that meets the needs of the third child. How can anyone be so immersed in ideology that they would deny the parents that ability?”
“Having choices such as charter schools, open enrollment for district schools and ESAs are a valuable tool for Arizona parents. As today’s announcement shows, these choices do not result in any part of the budget deficit. It resulted from overly optimistic projections of state revenues.” Horne concluded, “ESAs are enabling parents to find the best schools to meet their children’s needs. No rational person should oppose that.”
