To the Editor:
As an ESA parent of a special education student, I’m absolutely outraged by Superintendent Tom Horne’s recent article. His claims are not only misleading, they’re flat out insulting to the families like mine who rely on ESA to provide our children with the education they were denied in public schools.
Let me be clear: his response sounds like a desperate, whining attempt to save face. He no longer has the support of ESA parents like he did when he was elected. I was one of those parents who believed he would advocate for us. I was wrong, and Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman is right: there is no way Tom Horne wins reelection.
His push for random spending caps is not about accountability, it’s about control. The new limits make absolutely no sense. They’re allowing up to $4,000 for instruments but capping computers at $2,000. Home economics students are capped at $500, and vocational students only get $1,500 for tools they need to pursue careers. How is that reasonable? It’s not. These numbers are arbitrary and harmful, especially to SPED students with unique needs.
And the most ridiculous part? Horne admits that the so called “inappropriate” purchases he keeps referencing were never approved. So the system is clearly working. Nothing in these new caps would have stopped those items, because they were already denied! But instead of focusing on improving real support and efficiency, he’s pushing policies that make it harder for families to access the resources their children genuinely need.
These new documentation requirements are also absurd. They are expensive, time-consuming, and in many cases impossible to get. Medical providers aren’t going to write letters for specific school supplies, and Horne knows that. This isn’t about protecting taxpayer dollars, it’s about making the process so difficult that families give up.
We aren’t asking for luxuries. We’re asking for the freedom to give our children the education they deserve. ESA gave us hope. Now, Tom Horne is trying to take that away with bad policies wrapped in political spin.
Angela Faber
ESA SPED Parent