Arizona Senate Bill 1452

If passed, the bill would allow any student who lives in the boundary of a Title I school (Title I meaning funding is provided for disadvantaged students at these schools to close educational gaps) to be eligible for a voucher called Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA). If passed, around 70 % of students in Arizona would be eligible. 

Some outcomes from the bill passing (increased ESA’s) are the following:

Require school districts that do not get state funding to pick up the costs for students who leave their schools to go to private schools. 

• Take funds from the extension of Prop. 301 — which is earmarked sales tax money for class size reduction, teacher salary increases and dropout prevention programs — and send that money to the student going to private school 
• Allow ESA students to pay for public/ commercial transportation to private school as well. Previously parents were unable to use the accounts for transportation
• Waive the requirement that a student spend 100 days of the previous school year in public school to use public funds to pay for private school. Instead, students would only have to spend 30 days in public school in the current school year and then could immediately head to private school.
• Allow parents to use ESAs to pay for the portion of education therapies not covered by health insurance.
• Prevent parents from losing money they misspent on items not allowed, unless the Arizona Attorney General determines an account holder committed fraud. Currently, misspent money is forfeited rather than returned.

Resources

• Resource Url:

  https://legiscan.com/AZ/bill/SB1452/2021