Republicans at the Arizona State Legislature are about to get another opportunity to prove they favor cutting waste, fraud, abuse, unneeded fiscal fat, and misplaced spending priorities in the 2026 legislative session.
The plum target for cutting, if they accept it, is the fiscal Frankenstein Monster they created and unconditionally support: The Empowerment Scholarship Private Education Account Program (ESA.)
Since its expansion, despite the wishes of the majority of Arizonans, by Governor Doug Ducey and Republicans in 2022, this alleged education choice program has morphed into a plutocratic and theocrats dream and a fiscal nightmare as Arizona’s wealthiest and fringiest have used the program as a way to avoid paying private school tuition for their children by taking hard earned tax dollars from middle and working class Grand Canyon state residents who will never be able to send their children to these institutions.
They have also become beacons for fraud where people, due to less than ideal program screening and guardrails, fleece the state coffers by creating phantom students that do not exist.
They have become scams for families to obtain public monies for questionable private expenses like legos, jewelry, lingerie, and vacations.
They have become public scholarship opportunities for these same wealthy families to hoard cash for post K-12 expenses like college.
They have become an acceptable way to use public dollars to fund private indoctrination centers like Turning Point.
Please click here to read previous Blog for Arizona articles on the ESA program.
Last week, it was revealed that Arizona’s wealthiest and most nefarious have run the ESA’s program ledger expenditure sheet up to the one billion dollar mark.
When the program first started, Republicans, according to Save our School Arizona and contemporary reporting at the time, said that the ESA expansion would cost no more that about $250 million in the first three fiscal years.
The actual figure was $2.2 billion.
Oops.
So much for Republicans being the party of fiscal expertise and responsibility.
People not in the plutocratic Republican sphere knew then this day was coming.
Beth Lewis, the Executive Director of Save our Schools Arizona commented shortly after the release of the data showing the ESA drain on the state coffers, writing:
“Arizona’s voucher program remains the least accountable and least transparent private school voucher program in the nation, with zero safety oversight, zero financial transparency, and zero academic accountability. The ADE has instituted a new policy auto approving any purchases under $2,000, with investigative reports showing ESA vouchers are being used to purchase diamonds, lingerie, Apple iPhones appliances, and big screen TVs. Arizona’s vouchers are funding sub-par strip mall schools, unsafe and uncredentialed microschools, and fraudulent purchases — while public school students go without basic classroom supplies and teachers self-fund their classrooms.”
Arizona’s leading Democrats in the State Legislature commented to Blog for Arizona on the coming fiscal storm with the ESA program.
Arizona House Leader Oscar De Los Santos conveyed:
“It’s alarming that taxpayer-funded vouchers for the wealthiest families to send their kids to private schools has now blown past a billion dollars. Every dollar that goes to these vouchers is a dollar taken away from public schools, health care, and programs that make life more affordable for everyday Arizonans.
House Democrats have been warning for years that the unchecked, out-of-control growth of this program is unsustainable and fiscally irresponsible. We need transparency, accountability, and real safeguards so that Arizona taxpayers aren’t forced to make painful cuts just to subsidize private school tuition for the wealthiest families.”
Arizona Assistant House Leader and Educator Nancy Gutierrez offered:
“The runaway universal voucher program costing Arizona tax payers $1 billion is a travesty. This program completely ignored what the voters wanted. It was pushed forward by the Republicans in the Legislature and Gov. Ducey and is the worst example of fiscal responsibility that our state has ever seen.
My caucus has had many bills to reign in this atrocious mess for years. I am hoping that our ideas are heard this session.”
Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan relayed:
“Reaching the milestone of $1 billion spent this year on the ESA voucher scam is a cause for grim reflection, and recognition that the Republican majority is corruptly lining their cronies’ pockets at the expense of our kids’ education. Evidence shows that the ESA voucher program has produced fraud and led to wasteful expenses, yet there still is no accountability to ensure spending is actually educational. At a time when Arizona is expecting to face serious deficits as a result of the Republican-driven federal budget bill that will reduce funding for health care and we are expecting lower revenues as Trump’s policies like tariffs push us into recession territory. Will Republicans wake up to reality and limit this wasteful spending?”
The Senator also referred the Blog to a 11/10/25 Joint Legislative Budget Committee Meeting on Capitol Review (please click here to watch from about the 14 minute to just after 18 minute mark) where Republicans were discussing (maybe feigning) concerns about the tightening fiscal situation, caused by Mr. Trump’s and MAGA Republicans Big Billionaire First Bill heading into 2026.
Senators Sundareshan and Kuby pointed out that one path to help better fund K-12 Education and Medicaid and restore greater fiscal health for the state coffers would be to address the exploding ESA program with Kuby trying to corner Republican Matt Gress into being “open to reforming the ESA voucher scam.”
Sundareshan added “I would love to talk about the billion dollars we are losing towards from unaccountable vouchers so that we can support K-12 Education.”
Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz, Democratic Candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction commented:
“This is a sad milestone. While families deserve choices, this unchecked program is diverting critical resources away from Arizona’s public schools that serve over one million students every day.
As Superintendent, I will make sure every ESA dollar is tracked and spent responsibly, and I will fight to protect both public education and the taxpayers from this growing burden.”
The time has come to reform this fiscal albatross and cut the ESA welfare for the rich and scam program so the state can fund more urgent priorities including public education.
If Republicans want to campaign in 2026 on wanting to protect this shameful welfare for the rich scam that only benefits people residing in Arizona’s richest zip codes without any sensible reforms or prudent fiscal cuts, knock yourselves out.
In this day when middle and working class people can not afford to go to the doctor or get groceries, it about time the rich did their fair share and stop fleecing the hard earned taxpayer dollars of the 98 percent.
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This program reminds me of the 2000 Alternative Fuel fiasco that was set to cost Arizona about 10% of its budget and made Arizona a national laughingstock.
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/02/us/costly-plan-to-promote-alternative-fuels-jolts-arizona.html
I wonder how many legislators or their contributors have partaken of ESAs?
I recently met a young lady who is home schooled. She has 12 siblings of whom 8 (including her) are eligible for ESA. Assuming $7500 per child, that’s $60,000 of taxpayer money going to one family. While she was nice enough, it was obvious from talking to her that she wasn’t particularly as bright or ambitious as others of her age. That’s what AZ GQP (grifter qanon pedos) are bankrolling, dull, obedient sheeple who will do as the GQP wants.