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Board hears parents’ complaints as superintendent warns ESA reimbursements are months behind
Summary
Arizona Department of Education officials told the State Board that Education Savings Account (ESA) reimbursements — previously approved within 30 days — now take about 90 days; parents testified they are owed thousands and urged immediate fixes. The department said it will seek solutions including a handbook task-force review and a legal challenge to the Attorney General’s order requiring curriculum checks.
Superintendent Horn told the Arizona State Board of Education that reimbursements for the Education Savings Account (ESA) program have slipped from roughly 30 days last year to an average of about 90 days, creating “an overwhelming problem” for families who pay up front for educational expenses. He said staff are preparing a risk analysis to identify low‑risk cases that could be auto‑approved and will ask the handbook task force to recommend operational changes.
Parents who use ESA funds testified during the board’s public comment period that the backlog is causing severe financial hardship. Brandy Blackford said ESA was 13½ weeks behind approving reimbursements and that families are choosing between paying mortgages and paying for their children’s education. Simone Bell said her family is owed more than $4,000 and called delays “detrimental” to her autistic child’s progress.
Horn told the board the increased workload comes from several factors: a surge in participation, legislative changes that moved some payments to a reimbursement model, and a requirement from the Attorney General that staff check supplemental materials against curriculum — a step that significantly increased approval time. He said staff attempted an auto‑approve threshold for purchases at $85 but stopped the practice after vendors and some parents exploited it (for example, requests for multiple gift cards); staff cited examples of proposed purchases that would have been unacceptable (a $55,000 watch, a $225,000 golf simulator).
The superintendent said the department is joining the Goldwater Institute to seek a judicial determination related to the Attorney General’s order and that, until a court rules otherwise, staff must follow the AG’s guidance because of the risk the state could recoup funds. He asked the board to authorize the handbook task force to consider alternative processing approaches while department staff study operational fixes.
Board members asked questions about staffing and statutory constraints. Member Kikus and others expressed sympathy for families and urged staff to pursue short‑term steps (overtime, temporary hires) to reduce the backlog; Horn said the department will request additional full‑time equivalent positions from the legislature in January but cannot predict whether funding will be granted.
The board did not take a formal enforcement action on ESA at the meeting; the discussion concluded with direction to pursue administrative and legal options and to return with recommendations.
