Arizona students benefit from an Empowerment Scholarship Account (as of 2/10/25)
Parents have the right to choose what’s best for their family and have their education tax dollars pay for the school that meets their child’s needs. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) make that possible.
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.
ESA dollars cover multiple education expenses such as private school tuition, curricula, educational supplies, tutoring and more.
The Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program
is demonstrating the highest levels of public accountability
Critics who claim there is a lack of accountability are absolutely incorrect and are holding the ESA program to a different standard than district or charter schools. Anyone may check the state Auditor General’s website and find millions of dollars’ worth of fraudulent activity in some districts and charters.
The ESA program may be the most accountable program in the State. It’s responsible for demonstrating accountability through reporting that is required by statute, rules, and ad hoc requests from these 7 government agencies and bodies:
Joint Legislative Budget Committee
Attorney General’s Office (multiple units)
Auditor General’s Office (multiple divisions)
State Board of Education
Additionally, this program is held highly accountable by other important groups:
Parents of ESA Students
Parent Advisory Committee
ESA-Related Social Media
Public Interest and Media Groups:
Anti-school choice advocacy groups
Statewide opposition research groups
The Department of Education requires all expenditures to be for a valid educational purpose and at reasonable cost considering market prices. Supt. Horne has been attacked by those who think that parents should get anything they want but he insists on full accountability.
Message from State Board of Ed. Member Jenny Clark