SE Valley Times

The Arizona House of Representatives’ Majority Leader said today that Gov. Katie Hobbs’ (D-Ariz.) proposal to place an income cap on the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program shows the governor wants to “force the middle class into a failing education system.”

“Hobbs wants to force the middle class into a failing education system focused on DEI and pluralism,” State Rep. Michael Carbone (R-Buckeye), told SE Valley Times. “She wants to take away the rights and liberties of parental choice.”

“Our great state of Arizona allows us parents to choose the educational options best for our children,” said Carbone. “Hobbs’ proposal would not only take that choice away, it would bring class warfare to the education system.”  

Carbone was elected by the House GOP Caucus to serve as the Majority Leader following the November 2024 elections, in which the Republicans increased their majority in the Arizona House. The GOP now holds 31 seats to the Democrats’ 29.

His comments were in response to the governor’s budget proposal, released last week, which includes an income cap of $200,000 for families using the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

83,032 students in Arizona received an ESA as of November 18, 2024, according to the Arizona Department of Education.  

Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program allows parents to use public funds allocated for their child's education to pay for approved educational expenses. These expenses include private school tuition, homeschooling costs, online learning programs, tutoring, and other education-related services and materials.

The ESA program is available to Arizona students who meet specific eligibility requirements, such as students with disabilities, those attending failing schools, children of active-duty military members, and other qualifying categories. The program is managed by the Arizona Department of Education.

Funds for the ESA program are deposited into accounts managed by parents, who are required to use them for pre-approved educational purposes. The amount allocated to each student is based on a percentage of the funding the state would have provided for that student in a public school setting.

Hobbs’ proposal to do away with ESA’s for families making more than $200,000 would have a major impact on families in the Phoenix area. 

In Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, and Scottsdale, it takes an annual household salary of $238,500 for a family of four “to sustain comfortable living standards,” reported AZCentral.com in March 2023. In Gilbert and Glendale, that salary is a bit higher, at $239,400. 

Under Hobbs’ proposal, families making that much would not be allowed to participate in Arizona’s ESA program.

Carbone was first elected to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 25 in the general election on November 8, 2022. He assumed office on January 9, 2023, and was re-elected in the general election on November 5, 2024.