Arizona State House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) promised Republicans in the legislature will not relent in the partisan fight over Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), even as Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona Democrats claim the growing school choice initiative is draining the state budget.
Toma (pictured above) said critics of the ESA program are “disingenuous” in their claims for political reasons, asserting that Republicans instead believe it is “the state’s responsibility” to provide education for all children, and “[p]arents want choice” in the matter, during a Friday interview with Arizona Capitol Times.
Responding to claims from Hobbs and her Democratic colleagues that ESAs are draining the Arizona budget, Toma explained funding for public K-12 education accounts for 55 percent of spending. Toma said, “If we’re going to be honest, and we’re going to say the [ESA] program is draining state funds, then K-12 is by far a much bigger drain on state funds than the ESA program.”
“Ultimately,” Toma told the outlet, the ESA program “puts parents in charge” of education “best for each individual child.” The Republican explained, “I have five daughters that we’ve raised through the system at various points, and every one of those, they’ve been at some point homeschool, charter school, public school – and different school options work differently for each of them because they’re different individuals and they learn differently.”
ESAs allow parents to direct the government funding associated with their child to a participating charter, private, or religious school in Arizona. Republicans cite the growing popularity of the program as evidence of its success, but Democrats claim it is too expensive, question the costs of private sector contractors, and warn that children lose federal protections upon leaving government schools.
Describing the partisan disagreement as a “difference of governing philosophy,” Toma said Republicans “feel that parents know best and should make those decisions.”
Still, Toma rejected claims that ESAs are “anti-public school,” telling the outlet that evidence shows students benefit from competition in education. He also said the issue resonates with parents across the political aisle.
He said, “It is a partisan issue in this building and this Capitol complex, but it is not a partisan issue largely with parents. Democrat parents want school choice overwhelmingly just like Republican parents and independent parents. So, I think it’s unfair to say this is a partisan issue outside of this place because it’s not. Parents want choice.”
Last month, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) issued a press release claiming that students participating in the ESA program, particularly those with disabilities, “give up rights” by leaving the public school system. Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) pushed back on Mayes’ claims, and proponents of ESAs noted that about 10,000 students participating in the ESA program were recently identified as having some disability.
Around that time, an ESA data leak reportedly allowed individuals to access private information about students before a third-party contractor fixed it. Horne has since confirmed an administrator implicated in the leak has left her position.
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Tom Pappert is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Tom on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
