Students attend a biology class at BASIS Oro Valley.
For the second time, Arizona’s State Board of Education has delayed a vote on a revised handbook that outlines how parents can use universal school voucher funding.
The board was originally expected to vote on the draft handbook in March, but pushed the decision to its April 28 meeting. At the request of the Arizona Department of Education, the board has postponed the vote again — this time until June.
The proposed handbook, which includes several new changes, has drawn criticism from both supporters and opponents of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. In a letter sent last week, the Arizona Education Association — the state’s largest labor union for public school educators — urged the board to advocate for stronger oversight of the program.
Association President Marisol Garcia said the revised guidelines would worsen the lack of accountability in voucher spending.
“Last year, Arizona paid at least $700 million for ESA vouchers — more than 10 times the original cost estimate presented to lawmakers,” Garcia wrote. “As state budget analysts cut revenue projections by more than half for Fiscal Year 2026, Arizona cannot afford to continue the waste, fraud and abuse that have become hallmarks of the voucher program.”
The ESA program has faced criticism for its uncapped and loosely regulated spending. Garcia warned the new guidelines would further reduce oversight.
“The revised ESA guidelines will virtually eliminate any semblance of guardrails on state expenditures, allowing individual recipients to spend up to $2,000 with little to no oversight,” she wrote.
The updated handbook does propose spending caps on certain materials, such as home economics equipment. It also requires that purchases be tied to an existing curriculum — a provision the Arizona Attorney General’s Office says is mandated by law. Still, not all families who use ESA funds support the new restrictions.
Parents and students who rely on vouchers filled Monday’s board meeting to protest the proposed limits.
Students like ninth grader Lexi Faber said the changes would hurt her ability to prepare for vocational work.
“Every year I get a set amount, and that amount should be my cap,” Faber said. “Adding extra limits just makes it harder for students like me to succeed.”
Susanna Anderson, a parent of nine ESA students, told the board that the yearly award amount should be the only cap.
“These proposed spending caps are out of touch with reality,” Anderson said. “If my students, on average, get $8,000 per year, that’s their cap. They may choose to spend it on an embroidery machine or they may choose to spend it on an instrument.”
According to the draft, new spending limits may include:
- A $4,000 cap on musical instruments every three years per student
- A $2,500 cap on physical education equipment every three years
- A $1,500 cap on vocational tools every three years
- A $500 annual cap on home economics equipment
The handbook was last updated in 2023.
“Arizona public schools are subject to strict accountability standards to ensure that our students receive the high-quality education they deserve,” said Garcia, who is also a public school teacher. “The ESA voucher program is not.”
Opponents of the universal voucher program say it takes funding away from public schools. In 2024, Arizona ranked 49th in the nation for per-pupil spending.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the state spends about $10,000 per student, well below the national average of more than $15,000. Critics also argue that many ESA recipients were already enrolled in private schools or used the funds for noneducational expenses, such as Lego sets.
“Under these guidelines, recipients could receive approval to spend taxpayer money on a wide array of inappropriate luxury purchases — from $300 waffle makers to $1,695 top-of-the-line skis,” Garcia said. “To date, extensive reporting has detailed how Arizona’s voucher program has failed to help low-income students succeed while diverting taxpayer money to subsidize wealthy families and fund poorly regulated programs that put children at risk.”
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.