Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) spoke with Shannon Bream of Fox News for an interview Sunday, where she spoke about her opinions of the State’s Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Hobbs is an open opponent of the program and told Bream that the program would “bankrupt our state” if allowed to continue; however, the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI), a proponent of the program, said this is far from the truth.
“This claim is completely detached from objective reality,” said GI Director of Education Policy Matt Beienburg in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times. “The ESA expansion makes up less than 2% of what is spent on Arizona public school students each year, is dwarfed by the hundreds of millions of dollars of extra funding added to public schools this year alone by state lawmakers, and provides students an education at thousands of dollars less per child than it would cost to educate them in the public school system.”
Under the Universal ESA program, all families of school-aged children can receive approximately $7,000 each year to fund private school tuition or anything from a list of educational needs. The GI reported that, on average, the state spends roughly $14,000 per student in school districts every year. A Common Sense Institute (CSI) report showed that if families withdraw students from public schools for homeschooling or to attend a private school using the ESA, it will ultimately save the state money.
“The decision of many public-school districts to close or otherwise disrupt their traditional academic experience during the pandemic period appears to have substantially impacted parent behavior, and response to universal ESA expansion may simply be enabling parents who have – for various reasons – exited their district school since 2020 to continue accessing some of the state support they would have already been eligible for, had they remained at their district schools,” according to the CSI.
Moreover, Hobbs claimed during the interview that lower-income families still cannot afford private school tuition using the ESA, so the program is only helping those who can already afford it. According to Private School Review, the average elementary private school tuition cost is $9,356 in 2023. The organization listed 69 private schools in Arizona with a tuition cost under $7,000.
Hobbs herself attended a private school, Seton Catholic Preparatory High School, from 1984-1988 and said she had a positive experience while attending.
During the interview, Bream pressed Hobbs about attending a private school but opposing the Universal ESA program. In response, Hobbs stated she grew up in a working-class family and “begged them [her parents] to send me to public schools.” Hobbs’s family allegedly struggled and even had to go on food stamps to give her a private education. However, she emphasized that her parents, not herself, made that decision.
Arizona State Rep. Matt Gress (R-Maricopa) called Hobbs out on this, stating all parents in Arizona should have the opportunity to give their children that experience without struggling.
“.@GovernorHobbs‘ parents struggled to provide her with an education THEY thought best. It’s unfortunate she wants AZ families to choose between being on food stamps or sending their kids to the school they choose. Let’s help families. Give them a choice, not push them down,” tweeted Gress.
.@GovernorHobbs’ parents struggled to provide her with an education THEY thought best.
It’s unfortunate she wants AZ families to choose between being on food stamps or sending their kids to the school they choose.
Let’s help families. Give them a choice, not push them down. https://t.co/cN0y6mpQ2J
— Matt Gress (@MatthewGress) February 12, 2023
Hobbs stated her administration is calling for the repeal of the universal ESA expansion, not the entire program. However, the Republican State Legislature has already stated it would not repeal the expansion. Hobbs herself does not have the power to repeal the expansion unilaterally. Additionally, the GI said it would take legal action if Hobbs attempts to undermine or restrict access to the program.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Classroom” by Wokandapix.
