State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has fired back at the criticism from the advocacy group Save Our Schools, staunchly defending the empowerment scholarship accounts (ESAs) program that allows parents to choose the best school for their child's educational needs. In a rebuttal to the group's claims, Horne stated, "Statewide approximately 75,000 students are in the ESA program compared to 1,250,000 in public schools, ESAs are not a threat to public schools, but the competition they provide causes public schools to perform better as opposed to being a government monopoly which SOS prefers," as reported on the Department of Education's official website.
Horne pointed out the advantages ESAs offer to families with multiple children whose needs might not all be met by their neighborhood school, noting, "We have families that have three children. The needs of two of the children are met at the neighborhood school, but the needs of one of the children are not being met," illustrating his point that the flexibility of school choice is imperative for student success. Save Our Schools had accused the ESA program of draining funds from Phoenix Union schools, however, Horne clarified, "Any time they lose students, they also lose the cost of educating the student, so they’re resulting funding per student in their district remains constant," and emphasized that the drop in enrollment is due to parents seeking better academic or safer environments for their kids.
The state schools chief further argued against the notion that ESAs are siphoning significant resources from public schools by highlighting that out of the numbers reported, "only 40 students left Phoenix Union schools for that reason during the last school year," as he stated on the Department's site. The larger figure of 1,137 pupils, mentioned in the department's Quarterly Report, pertains to children who were not recent attendees at Phoenix Union schools or had never attended at all, suggesting parent-driven decisions rather than a systemic funding drain caused by ESAs.
Addressing safety concerns, Horne recounted historical instances where Phoenix Union board members' ideology led to questionable decisions regarding student and staff safety, "A few years ago, when unruly students invaded in Phoenix union in School, board meeting demanding that the school eliminate School Resource Officers (police officers there to protect the safety of students and staff) the school board surrendered and eliminated those officers," Horne recalled, noting such actions likely influenced parental choice. He concluded with a note of improvement, stating, "However, the trend has been positive in that Phoenix Union now does have SROs."
