Governor Katie Hobbs Calls for An End to ESA Spending Rubber Stamp

New Superintendent Horne Policy Removes Oversight over up to $170 Million in Taxpayer Dollars

Phoenix, AZ - On December 19, 2024, Governor Katie Hobbs sent a letter to Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Superintendent Tom Horne, calling out his irresponsible decision to rubber stamp ESA spending under $2,000. The action from Horne comes after he announced ADE had a backlog of over 89,000 reimbursement requests, and rather than conduct proper oversight, has proposed a plan to automatically approve the vast majority of these requests, allowing for up to $170 million to be spent unchecked. 

“Arizonans deserve oversight over how their taxpayer dollars are spent, and Superintendent Horne’s new policy will remove important checks on up to $170 million of ESA spending,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Allowing these expenses to go unchecked creates an environment ripe for fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds. I am calling on Superintendent Horne to reconsider this irresponsible decision, conduct proper oversight, and make sure working class Arizonans do not foot the bill for excessive spending on grand pianos, ski passes, and luxury car driving lessons.”

See the full letter HERE.