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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session |
House: APPROP DP 11-7-0-0 |
HB 2500: supplemental appropriation; ESA administration
Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4
Caucus & COW
Overview
Appropriates $1,000,000 and 12 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions from the state General Fund (GF) as a supplemental in FY 2026 to the Department of Education (ADE) to administer the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.
History
A qualified student with an ESA may use ESA monies for permissible expenses, including: 1) qualifying tuition or fees; 2) textbooks, curricula and supplementary materials; and 3) outlined goods and services. Statute prescribes specified categories of qualified students who are eligible for an ESA. In 2022, the Legislature expanded eligibility to include a universal category for any Arizona resident who: 1) is eligible to enroll in an Arizona public school; and 2) does not otherwise qualify for an ESA account. ESAs are funded at 90 percent of the Base Support Level and charter additional assistance that a student would have been allocated if the student were attending a charter school (A.R.S. §§ 15-2401; 15-2401.01; and 15-2402).
The Arizona State Board of Education (SBE) is charged with the appeals process for ADE's ESA administrative decisions. The SBE annually approves the ESA Parent Handbook and processes ESA appeals of ADE administrative decisions (AZ SBE).
Provisions
1. Appropriates $1,000,000 and 12 FTE positions from the state GF in FY 2026 to ADE to administer the ESA program.
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Initials HB 2500
2/12/2026 Page 0 Caucus & COW
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