A ballot measure is currently being circulated in Arizona that would significantly change the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program. If the ballot gets enough signatures, the proposal would go on the November ballot.
Help Protect Educational Freedom in Arizona
A Petition is Circulating that would Restrict School Choice
This ballot measure would:
- Place a $150,000 income cap on families participating under universal eligibility
- Add new regulatory requirements for private schools, tutors, and education providers
- Require additional testing or accreditation measures
- Sweep unspent ESA funds back to the state each quarter
Supporters of the measure describe it as an effort to increase “accountability” and oversight. However, many parents and education advocates believe these changes would reduce flexibility, create new barriers for families, and limit access to educational options that are currently available.
What is the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program?
Arizona’s ESA program allows families to use a portion of state education funding to pursue the educational option that best fits their child’s needs.
Families may choose:
- Private schools
- Homeschooling
- Microschools
- Educational therapies
- Specialized tutoring
- Online learning
More than 100,000 Arizona students currently use ESAs. The program provides flexibility to families who need different forms of learning for their children. Learning style, personal needs, and academic goals all differ from family to family, and the ESA program offers variation in education.
How this ballot measure could affect your friends and family on ESAs:
Impose Income Limits
Families earning more than $150,000 would no longer qualify under universal eligibility. This could limit access to many middle-class families, even though they still pay taxes to fund public schooling.
Restrictions like these fail to take into account factors, like family size and the cost of living where these families live.
Increase Government Regulation
Private schools, microschools, and tutors receiving ESA funds would face additional state requirements, reporting mandates, and oversight measures. This increases the burden on these forms of education, and with an already limited staff, will significantly increase their workload. These new regulations could be a reason for schools to leave the ESA program, and therefore limit the educational options for families.
An anti-ESA measure would also force parents to document every single purchase to use scholarship funds, no matter how small the expense. Parents already have to document purchases and credentials for tutors and therapists, and these regulations would drown parents in even more paperwork.
Add Testing or Accreditation Mandates
ESA students could be required to take statewide assessments or attend accredited institutions. These assessments do not always align with the curriculum of non-public schools, and could cause schools to change how they operate.
This mandatory testing for public education has led to low proficiency rates among students. If implemented in private education, it would force private schools to be more like public schools, lowering the effectiveness of the ESA program in general.
Restrict Funding Flexibility
Unused ESA funds would be returned to the state each quarter instead of remaining available for future educational expenses. With this restriction, longer-term educational planning will be tougher for families.
Punishing families for spending responsibly or planning for the future just limits the efficiency of the ESA program, and would encourage irresponsible spending to use all scholarship funds immediately.
Why Parents are Concerned
Parents who support school choice believe:
- Educational decisions should remain in the hands of families
- One-size-fits-all systems do not serve every child well
- Increased regulation may discourage alternative schools from participating
- Limiting eligibility reduces access to customized education options
While accountability matters, changes that significantly restrict participation could reduce educational freedom in Arizona.
If Asked to Sign, Please Decline
Signature gatherers are working to place this measure on the ballot.
If you are approached to sign a petition related to ESA restrictions or changes, we encourage you to respectfully decline. Declining to sign does not prevent anyone from voting. It simply prevents the measure from advancing to the ballot.
Protect Educational Freedom
Arizona families have worked hard to expand educational opportunity and flexibility. Now is the time to stay informed and ensure that education decisions remain where they belong: with parents.
Join the Fight
Join Christian Schools across Arizona in sharing our social posts and submitting your ESA story.
