PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has released the proposed draft handbook for Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) families for the coming year with a few changes that's upsetting some parents.
ADE officials say changes are to keep the program accountable and clarify what’s allowed for ESA holders.
Stacey Brown says the ESAs have been helpful for her family. Before receiving universal ESA funds, Brown used her family’s money to pay for her children’s homeschooling. With her husband a public school teacher and her substituting once in a while, she says the universal program has been beneficial for her family in buying new materials for her kids.
“We’d also get hand-me-down materials from other home school families which oftentimes was missing parts of the curriculum,” she said of items they used to get before ESA.
With getting ESA funds for her three children now, ages 5, 8 and 10, she tells ABC15 she’s seeing a change in her kids’ education. She’s heard of all the controversy surrounding ESA – between some fraud allegations and Democrats and some groups against universal ESA and its lack of transparency and accountability – Brown believes only a very small percentage of families using ESA is abusing the program.
More than 87,000 students are now using the program, growing from around 11,000 students who had ESA before it went universal.
“I don’t want this program to be abused. It’s a program that’s benefited my family and thousands of other families,” she said. “There’s no reason for it to be abused. My children are growing ten times over with this program than I could’ve ever expected them.”
Brown is one ESA parent that was part of the Arizona Department of Education’s ESA handbook committee. A group that was formed after last year’s drafted handbook was not adopted due to negative feedback, according to ESA Director John Ward.
“There were some parents and state legislators who did not like the additional language that had been added to the handbook, specifically we had said we will no longer approve luxury items and that purchases must involve a reasonable expense,” Ward said.
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An ABC15 investigation showed the expenses that some families used their ESA funds on.
It ranged from specialty schools, private schools, to also include golf stores, sewing machines, luxury car driving lessons and more. These were expenses Ward previously told ABC15 are allowed since they were approved.
The new draft handbook released last week showed that the department is proposing caps on certain items including:
- Physical education equipment which would have a $2,500 limit for every three years per ESA student
- Smart boards limited at $3,000 per account holder for the entire ESA program participation
- Home economic countertop appliances and related accessories such as baking equipment, sewing machines, etc., limiting to $500 per year per ESA student
- A $4,000 limit on instruments for every three years per ESA student
As an individual part of the committee, Brown told ABC15 they agreed to a $4,000 cap on musical instruments. However, she said the department added the three-year limit.
In December, ABC15 reported on one appeal a family made to the Arizona State Board of Education, asking for a $16,000 cello for their ESA student. Ultimately, the family was denied.
“To have that cap on it is not appropriate. If that child is gifted, they should be able to have the freedom,” Brown said.
She added that families who have multiple kids learning multiple instruments could be hindered by the proposed rule.
“State law gives the Department of Education the authority and the responsibility to administer the program,” Ward said. “We want to ensure that we administer this program in a very reasonable and responsible manner. That’s going to include having some type of limits on certain items so that we can ensure we have accountability on the students in the program as well as to the taxpayers.”
Ward believes the draft handbook presented to the Arizona State Board of Education is “responsible.” He adds that the department adopted “almost all” of the recommendations that were made. However, Brown believes the department is overreaching with some of their changes.
Other changes include making the handbook easier for families to read and follow along, clarifying what items are and aren’t allowed -- which Ward said everything that’s been allowed still remains the same – and there are also now directions on how families can enroll into the program.
ESA families can provide feedback to ADE leaders here.
The Arizona State Board of Education is the governing body over the Arizona Department of Education and will ultimately make the decision on the handbook. The next board meeting is scheduled for March 24.
