With less than one in three fourth-grade Arizona students reading at grade level, now is not the time for Governor Katie Hobbs to play politics with children’s futures. Arizona now has a massive education funding surplus; the governor should invest it in school choice policies that put the best interests of students first.

As a former public school teacher in Arizona, I am deeply invested in the educational opportunities available to students in my home state. Minority and lower class students are falling behind. In 2022, Black and Hispanic fourth-grade students had an average reading score that was 23-24 points lower than their white peers, and low-income students lagged by 25 points compared to those from middle and high-income families. This is why families need options and funds to send their children to better schools.  

Every child deserves the opportunity to receive the best education tailored to their unique needs. It is alarming that one of Hobbs’ first actions in office was revoking scholarship opportunities from nearly 50,000 students using the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA), thereby limiting family choices in education. While Hobbs seems unconcerned about the reading proficiency of our children, Arizonians are deeply troubled by it.

Contrary to Governor Hobbs’ claims that the cost is too high, the truth of the matter is that school choice actually saves taxpayers money. If students choose to use an ESA and leave their public school district, a significant portion ($3,300–$7,500) of their education dollars remain in that district. This means the school district receives thousands of dollars for students it does not have to educate, which will help increase per-pupil spending. This is a fact that Hobbs has not acknowledged, much like she has failed to utilize the state’s recently announced $4 million surplus in education funding for school choice initiatives.  

Prior to this surplus, publications with a left-leaning bias in Arizona claimed that the school choice program was wrecking the budget, citing the original $65 million price tag. However, the fiscal note clearly stated that the estimate was highly speculative and indicated a steady increase in cost each year. School choice costs more than the speculative estimate simply because it has succeeded more than anticipated and has become a popular option for families. 

These publications have also blamed the cost of school choice for a multitude of budget cuts. However, this assertion lacks a solid foundation, especially given that the cost of ESAs ($332 million) only accounts for a quarter of the deficit ($1.4 billion). It is misleading for these publications to frame it this way, especially when the cuts they specify add up to much more than the cost of ESAs. For instance, Arizona water infrastructure projects cost the same as ESAs, yet they also blame school choice for cuts to Arizona highway expansions and community colleges. Hobbs’s math does not add up, and Arizona parents know it.

Growing up in a family of five children in Arizona, we were required to attend the neighborhood public schools despite our differing needs and struggles. My family could have benefited from school choice if it was available at the time. The issues I saw as a student became more magnified when I became a public school teacher. I observed that students learn differently and that parents need more options to meet the needs of their children better.

After years of teaching in Arizona and elsewhere, I decided to dedicate my time to fighting for children and families to have educational opportunities. Now, 12 states have passed universal school choice and have seen exceptional results. Other states are working on passing expanded school choice. I am frustrated that politicians like Hobbs are threatening to take it away with false information. Despite incredibly high rates of parent satisfaction and improved student outcomes, she is choosing to play partisan politics at the expense of our children’s future.

Hobbs should not take away universal school choice from Arizona families and students who need it. Instead, Arizona should rein in spending in other areas and stop making education the scapegoat for leadership failures. School choice works, and that’s why Arizona families are using it. All Arizona parents have a right to options — they should stand up and demand that Hobbs retract her proposals against school choice and deliver the real facts!

Laurie Todd-Smith is director of the Center for Education Opportunity and director of the Center for the American Child with America First Policy Institute.