The school year is winding down and students across the country are headed into summer break. While students might be out of school, this is primetime for educators and lawmakers to think about ways to best serve our nation’s students for the coming school year. Improvements can always be made, and there’s no better way to invest time and resources than into the education systems and students who will shape America’s future.
Something that’s vital to students’ success is being in the appropriate environment for their needs and learning styles. Unfortunately in many states, children’s zip codes often dictate where they attend school, and tailoring their educational experience isn’t an option. But every student learns differently, and it makes a lot of sense to give parents – the people who know these students best – the tools to decide how their child should be educated.
Here in Arizona, the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program is changing our state’s education system for the better for tens of thousands of students. While there are other states with similar programs, Arizona’s is the most expansive in the country and has set a great example of how these programs can be operated well. The ESA program establishes an account administered by the Arizona Department of Education that gives parents the choice and discretion to decide which school best suits their child. Rather than leaving it solely up to the schools to figure out how educational funding can be best used like in many other states, this program helps fund and invest in the students themselves.
As of a recent poll, there are more than 77,000 K-12 students in Arizona currently participating in and benefitting from the ESA program. Each qualifying student’s family receives a quarterly allotment that can be used for education expenses like tuition, homeschooling, educational supplies, and tutoring. While Arizona has been making national news for other issues lately, Governor Katie Hobbs is likely to set her sights on the ESA program soon. In the past, Governor Hobbs has unfortunately pledged to dismantle this program despite its overwhelming success for Arizona students. Her criticism is completely unwarranted, and doing away with this popular program would hit the participating Arizona students and their families hard.
Our state’s high-quality, personalized education system that the ESA program has helped establish is improving the lives of families across Arizona. It’s setting students up for success and allowing them to reach their potential. Investing in our state’s students is an investment in our state’s future, something that should be heavily considered before politicians try to dismantle the ESA program for political points.
Robert Uribe is the Middle School Manager for Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona. Prior to his current role, Uribe served as the youngest democratic and first Afro-Latino Mayor of Douglas, Arizona.