In a decisive move highlighting concerns over the use of public funds, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has openly challenged the state's Department of Education Superintendent, Tom Horne, regarding his latest policy on the oversight of ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) expenditures. Hobbs' stance came through in a letter where she criticized Horne's approach to dealing with a substantial backlog of reimbursement requests.
The issue began when Horne revealed that the Arizona Department of Education had over 89,000 pending reimbursement requests. Horne's solution was to swiftly approve any such requests under $2,000. The attempt to quickly address this backlog stands to automatically authorize the use of approximately $170 million in ESA funds with minimal oversight. This approach has sparked alarm among critics, including Governor Hobbs, who argue that this policy could pave the way for potential misuse of taxpayer money.
In the Governor's letter, Hobbs expressed her position on the matter, stating, "Arizonans deserve oversight over how their taxpayer dollars are spent, and Superintendent Horne’s new policy will remove important checks on up to $170 million of ESA spending." The Governor's concern is that without proper scrutiny, there is a heightened risk for "fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds."
Hobbs did not hold back in her critique, appealing to Horne to consider more thorough methods of oversight that would not compromise the integrity of public funds. "I am calling on Superintendent Horne to reconsider this irresponsible decision, conduct proper oversight, and make sure working class Arizonans do not foot the bill for excessive spending on grand pianos, ski passes, and luxury car driving lessons." Governor Hobbs said in her letter, emphasizing the diverse potential misallocations that could arise from such unchecked policy.
Superintendent Horne has yet to publicly respond to Governor Hobbs’ plea.
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