Arizona Gov.
Katie Hobbs
(D) said the universal
school choice
program the Grand Canyon State
enacted last year
will bankrupt the state, even as more states are moving to implement similar programs.
Hobbs, who took office last month, has vowed to roll back former Gov. Doug Ducey’s signature legislative achievement that established a universal school choice program in the state. In an interview with Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Hobbs said the program is only subsidizing wealthy families and will bankrupt the state.
“Regardless of your philosophy on whether taxpayer dollars should go to public or private schools, this is going to bankrupt our state, and many independent analyses have shown that,” Hobbs said. “We’re not calling for a repeal of the entire program. We’re just calling for a repeal of the universal expansion.”
Hobbs’s criticism of her state’s school choice program comes as several states have followed Arizona’s lead in enacting similar universal school choice programs. Last month, Utah and Iowa enacted universal programs, while similar legislative efforts are underway in Texas, Florida, Wyoming, Indiana, and Arkansas.
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Bream pressed Hobbs on her claim that the program was going to bankrupt the state, noting that a
nonpartisan study
from the Common Sense Institute found that declining public school enrollment is saving the state $500 million annually, far more than the $377 million annual cost of the school choice program. The Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts will provide students with up to $7,000 per year for education-related costs, including private school tuition.
Hobbs told Bream she doesn’t dispute the math but that focusing on the cost doesn’t tell the whole story.
“Many of these students that are applying for and receiving these vouchers are in districts that aren’t getting the per-pupil funding from the state. They’re just relying on the property tax base,” Hobbs said. “It’s not hitting the bottom line of their school districts at all, but it’s pulling money out of the entire system … the school system that roughly 80% of families and students still continue to choose in Arizona.”
The governor added: “The public district school system is being robbed of those resources. And that is creating an unequal playing field where those resources aren’t going to the schools that need it the most.”
The study cited by Bream is not the only one that indicates school choice programs tend to save state funds. A
study
from Ed Choice, a pro-school choice group, found that school choice programs had saved states up to $28.3 billion in taxpayer funds. For every dollar spent on the school choice program, the study said states saved as much as $2.85 in education expenses.
The leaders of the Republican-controlled state legislature had previously blasted Hobbs for opposing school choice despite having attended a Catholic high school. Hobbs said her parents “struggled to make that choice” and that she was more concerned with ensuring public schools provide Arizona students with a quality education.
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“What I want is for every student in the state of Arizona, no matter where they live, to have access to high-quality public education,” Hobbs said. “And with this universal voucher system, that’s not happening.”
