Gov. Katie Hobbs is claiming that the state’s school choice program is rife with abuse and in need of serious reform.
In her State of the State address on Monday, Hobbs claimed the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program lacks accountability and transparency, alluding to media reports of questionable and controversial expenditures — some of which were debunked previously.
“We have seen a steady stream of news coverage around unacceptable and sometimes downright outrageous use of taxpayer money under this program, including water park admissions, ski passes, and luxury car driving lessons,” said Hobbs.
We must also address the long-term health of our K-12 schools – which means we must address the lack of accountability and transparency in Arizona’s ESA program.#SOTS2024#HobbsSOTSpic.twitter.com/C5FOU7d1eK
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) issues quarterly reports on the ESA program; the latest was released several days prior to Christmas. These reports include the program award amount received by students, as well as the number of orders and reimbursements approved and rejected.
ADE also provides lists of allowable and disallowable expenses, both updated last March. The ADE debunked one of Hobbs’ claims of “outrageous” expenditures last summer. In a statement, ADE clarified that it rejects expenditures for water park admissions.
An ESA representative mistakenly said this was acceptable, but when it came through, it was rejected. Please reach out to confirm stories. https://t.co/HFyU3C3C6J
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) July 26, 2023
An ABC15 review of 2022-23 ESA program expenditures found that ADE issued nearly 80 approvals for driving lessons and over 100 approvals for ski passes. However, that report didn’t distinguish whether those expenditures were made in 2022 under former ADE Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Kathy Hoffman, or in 2023 under current SPI Tom Horne. The difference matters because, as Horne stated in November, similar “outlandish purchases” occurred under Hoffman, not him.
“Approvals like those came during the prior superintendent’s administration led by a friend of the leader of Save Our Schools, and one of my first acts in office was to put an end to it,” said Horne.
As reported by AZ Free News last January, Hoffman’s administration of the ESA program was described as neglectful and improper. In addition to severe understaffing and hundreds of thousands of unfulfilled expense requests, the Horne administration discovered questionable expense approvals such as espresso machines.
Hoffman’s administration of the ESA program has been something that Horne has pointed out repeatedly in refuting claims of improper ESA program expenditures.
“The frivolous ESA spending approvals occurred under the administration of the Governor’s friend, Kathy Hoffman,” said Horne in another statement last month.
Hobbs’ criticism of the ESA program comes days after she announced a plan to effectively dismantle the ESA program. Monday’s speech made mention of several aspects of this proposed plan: fingerprint background checks for private school educators, a new audit authority for the auditor general specific to monitoring ESA expenditures, and requirement of attendance at a public school for at least 100 days to qualify for the program.
The governor’s plan also aims to require private schools to accommodate Individualized Learning Plans and Section 504 Plans, prohibit private schools from increasing tuition costs at a rate higher than inflation, require private schools to meet certain education requirements, and require ADE to disclose which parental and student rights are waived upon entrance into the ESA program as well as graduation and chronic absenteeism rates.
We must also address the long-term health of our K-12 schools – which means we must address the lack of accountability and transparency in Arizona’s ESA program.#SOTS2024#HobbsSOTSpic.twitter.com/C5FOU7d1eK
At least one of Hobbs’ proposals addresses a practice already in place, according to Horne: accountability in the form of manual reviews of purchases over $500 and rejection of non-academic expenditures.
Horne explained in a statement that his staff reviews all expense requests, regardless of amount, leading to a rejection of over 12,000 purchase order requests and the suspension of nearly 2,200 accounts totaling $21 million due to public school enrollment.
“My job is to administer the ESA program in line with state law, and if changes are made, the Department of Education will follow them,” said Horne. “My office already reviews all expense requests regardless of amount, unlike the previous superintendent who approved many frivolous requests.”
That $500 threshold appears to be related to another false expenditure-related claim echoed by Hobbs from the activist group, Save Our Schools Arizona. The activist group implied in a viral post picked up by various media outlets that ADE approved an expenditure of over $500 for a Lego set.
“Contrary to a falsified document tweeted by Save Our Schools, no ESA parent has been reimbursed $500 to buy Legos,” said Horne. “To be clear, district, charter and ESA students are allowed to use Legos. The issue here is a pattern of lying. Save Our Schools admitted they fabricated a document to make it look like a parent made a $500 purchase when she did not. By doing so they have misled both the Governor and a prominent newspaper columnist, both of whom have retweeted this lie.”
Although the claim was debunked, Hobbs didn’t retract her viral accusation of ESA program mismanagement.
“Your taxpayer dollars are being used to buy $500 Lego sets because partisan politicians refuse to place limits on school vouchers,” said Hobbs.
Your taxpayer dollars are being used to buy $500 Lego sets because partisan politicians refuse to place limits on school vouchers.
It is time to end this wasteful, runaway spending by passing real accountability & transparency measures. ⬇️https://t.co/MBdqirOrfg
A Phoenix-area Spanish teacher, 50-year-old Ernesto Moncada-Cota, was arrested earlier this week on allegations of a sexual relationship with a minor student.
Law enforcement charged Moncada-Cota with six felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse according to reporting from Arizona Daily Independent.
Moncada-Cota, an immigrant from Mexico City, Mexico, taught at the Arizona Conservatory For Arts and Academics, where his alleged victim was a student. Moncada-Cota immigrated to Arizona around 2000 on a type of work visa, according to his statements made in various interviews and skits over the years. Administrators at the charter school became aware of Moncada-Cota’s alleged relationship on Tuesday, according to the Phoenix Police Department. That same day, Moncada-Cota was arrested.
Outside of teaching, Moncada-Cota was a longtime fixture in Phoenix’s local art scene as a performer, writer, musician, and director openly supportive of progressive social justice views like Black Lives Matter.
Moncada-Cota would feature his views through his art. One such display relative to his alleged recent crime was a 2011 skit focused on opposition to a controversial immigration enforcement bill: SB 1070, enabling law enforcement to request proof of citizenship from those suspected of being in the country illegally, which the Supreme Court largely upheld. In the skit, Moncada-Cota had a mock altercation with an actor portraying then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a major proponent of the bill.
In his skit, Moncada-Cota overpowers and whips the Arpaio character, who falls to the ground and becomes unresponsive, repeatedly calling him a “cabron” (meaning “b*****d” in English).
As one of his criticisms of Arpaio in the skit, Moncada-Cota questioned in a monologue why Arpaio would want to remove individuals like the “super hot” 12-year-old Latina girls he sees accompanying their parents at the supermarket.
“[The family is in] Ranch Market, you know, and the daughters are following them, super hot, like 22 hot in a magazine — they’re 12,” said Moncada-Cota. “Why does he want that out?”
Moncada-Cota then referred to the young girls as “cheap labor that looks good.”
Moncada-Cota’s other artistic endeavors included his work at the Alwun House, where he would host an annual Erotic Poetry & Music Festivus and various burlesque shows known as “Provocatease,” and an experimental theater ensemble called “Arcana Collective.”
Another recurring event featuring Moncada-Cota was a “satanic mass,” in honor of classic horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Moncada-Cota told The Arizona Republic in 2014 that he had fun creating disturbing visuals for participants.
“I’d always wanted to stage a satanic mass just for the fun of it,” said Moncada-Cota.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
65 Arizona educators and 23 certified in Arizona faced discipline relating to sexual misconduct with minors in 2023.
According to Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE) board meetings, 88 educators’ alleged and/or admitted behavior with minors resulted in their certificates being either revoked, suspended, or voluntarily surrendered, with two given letters of censure with conditions:
Deniz Akca (Cartwright Elementary School District)
Enrique Alvarez (Nogales Unified School District)
David Atzenweiler (certified in Arizona)
Felix Armenta (Gadsden Independent School District)
Keith Armstrong (Legacy Traditional School)
Joshua Bahen (certified in Arizona)
Darangelo Balark (Maya High School)
Samuel Bauman (Mesa Unified School District)
Brent Becenti (Florence Unified School District)
Steve Belles (Chandler Unified School District)
Lucas Bogard (Blue Adobe Project)
Ray Borges (Agua Fria Union High School District)
Wulfido Caday (certified in Arizona)
Christopher Carter (Tempe Union High School District)
James Conkle (certified in Arizona)
Gregory Boujikian (Phoenix Union High School District)
Scott Brockish (Arizona State University Preparatory Academy)
Nicholas Brozina (certified in Arizona)
Holly Craft (Agua Fria Union High School District)
Timothy Dargon (Mingus Union High School District)
Troy Davis (Tolleson Union High School District)
Melissa Didiana (certified in Arizona)
James Dillon (Yuma Union High School District)
Stephen Escudero (Prescott Unified School District)
Cody Fortune (certified in Arizona)
Irvin Garcia-Flores (Aqua Fria Union High School District)
Esmeralda Velasco-Guerrero
Walter Halaberda (Flagstaff Unified School District)
Douglas Hester (Phoenix Union High School District)
Robert Holland (Phoenix Union High School District)
Michael Hood (certified in Arizona)
Cheng-Hsuan Tsai (Tempe Montessori School)
Miles Huff (Payson Unified School District)
Michael Irving (certified in Arizona)
Nathan Jellicoe (Dysart Unified School District)
Antonio Jordan (Mesa Public Schools)
Cory Kapahulehua (Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center High School)
Jon Kizzia (Scottsdale Unified School District)
Daniel Scott Larsen (Winslow Unified School District)
Lou Lernor (ASU Preparatory Academy South Phoenix)
James Limones (Sunnyside Unified School District)
Mark Lindrud (certified in Arizona)
Salvador Lopez (Sunnyside Unified School District)
Mark Lucero (Douglas Unified School District)
Kelly Martin (Legacy Traditional School)
Shane Martin (Yuma Elementary District)
Lynn Matthews (certified in Arizona)
James Miller (Dysart Unified School District)
Michael Molina (Douglas Unified School District)
Marissa Montero (Chandler Unified School District)
Jalen Montgomery (Scottsdale Unified School District)
Elaine Mooneyham (Parker Unified School District)
Michael Naumann (Pendergast Elementary School District)
Gustavo Orellana (certified in Arizona)
Samantha Peer (Lake Havasu Unified School District)
Marvin Pacheco Villa (Western School of Science and Technology)
Zachary Parker (Phoenix Union High School District)
Eric Popely (certified in Arizona)
Jacob Ramirez (Paradise Valley Unified School District)
Jaron Rheinlander (Marana Unified School District, ASU Preparatory Academy)
Dylan Riddle (Vail Unified School District)
Todd Roatsey (certified in Arizona)
Celedonio Rodriguez (Flagstaff Unified School District)
Jessica Smith (Accelerated Learning Center, Phoenix Charter High School)
William Thorpe (Vail Unified School District)
Angel Torres (certified in Arizona)
Ryan Trerise (Glendale Preparatory Academy Great Hearts)
Clarence Walker III (certified in Arizona)
Justin Walters (Desert Garden Montessori School)
Christopher Walton (certified in Arizona)
Shawn Watson (certified in Arizona)
Colin White (Payson Unified School District)
Nathan Williams (certified in Arizona)
Sommer Wilson (Kyrene School District)
Brandon Wingert (Tanque Verde Unified School District)
Jorge Valencia (Flagstaff Unified School District)
Zobella Vinik (Tucson Unified School District)
Dante Yarborough (Mesa Unified School District)
William Yaw IV (certified in Arizona)
Blake Young (Maricopa Unified School District)
Jose Garcia Zepeda (Phoenix Union High School District)
Russell Zysett (certified in Arizona)
Some cases brought before ASBE await adjudication. Their case summaries cited inappropriate behavior with minors. Select portions of these cases are reproduced below:
Manual Gavina (Phoenix Elementary School District), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision of ASBE: “On or about December 10, 2019, officers from the Phoenix Police Department arrested Manuel Gavina for three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Educator Gavina inappropriately touched several female students’ breasts and buttocks. Educator Gavina admitted to touching hundreds of female students’ breasts.”
Levi Jackson (certified in Arizona), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision of ASBE: “On or about October 4, 2022, Educator Jackson was arrested for five counts of Felony Sexual Abuse, 2 counts of Felony Lure Minor for Sexual Exploitation, 1 count of Felony Sexual Conduct with a Minor, and 19 counts of Misdemeanor Contribute to Delinquency of a Minor by officers from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office. Educator Jackson inappropriately touched his foreign exchange host student, Student A, over a period of several weeks. Educator Jackson touched Student’s A private area, gave Student A an inappropriate massage near Student A’s groin, asked to see Student A’s private area, discussed masturbation with Student A, and rubbed his own groin against Student A.”
Joanna Reyes (Sunnyside Unified School District), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision by ASBE: “Educator Reyes was involved in a romantic relationship with her former 5th grade student, Student A, who was twelve-years-old. This case was presented to the Pima County Attorney’s Office on February 13, 2023 for felony charges. The felony charges were declined. However, multiple misdemeanor charges of Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Nuisance will be filed with the Tucson City Court.” ASBE informedAZ Free News that her case is under review for appropriate next steps in the disciplinary process.
Jacob Williams (Yuma Union High School District, Somerton School District), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision of ASBE: “On or about October 6, 2022, officers from the Yuma Police Department arrested Jacob Ray Williams for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Educator Williams was ‘Snapchatting’ with a minor female student, requesting her to send naked pictures. Educator Williams sent pictures of his genitalia to this minor female student.”
ASBE meeting materials may be reviewed here. As per our previous reporting on this subject, some of the accused educators have denied the allegations against them.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Mere days before the start of the 2024 Arizona legislative session, the state’s Democrat governor is finally telegraphing her primary plan for the months ahead – though her proposal is likely dead on arrival with the Republican-led House and Senate chambers.
On Tuesday, Governor Katie Hobbs issued a press release to reveal “her plan to increase accountability and transparency in the ESA voucher program.” The governor’s plan has eight elements, including “increasing student safety, protecting rights for students with disabilities, requiring accountability for taxpayer dollars, expanding auditor general authority, prohibiting price gouging, raising educational standards, establishing program transparency, reinstating eligibility requirements.”
The ESA program, which is projected to cost the state nearly $1 billion, lacks accountability and transparency.
Today, I’m announcing my plan to keep students safe, protect taxpayer dollars, and give parents and students the information to make an informed educational choice.…
In a statement, Governor Hobbs said, “The ESA program lacks accountability and transparency. With this plan, we can keep students safe, protect taxpayer dollars, and give parents and students the information they need to make an informed choice about their education. Arizonans deserve to know their money is being spent on educating students, not on handouts to unaccountable schools and unvetted vendors for luxury spending. My plan is simple: every school receiving taxpayer dollars must have basic standards to show they’re keeping our students safe and giving Arizona children the education they deserve.”
Hobbs’ announcement was followed by two volleys from leading Arizona Republicans. House Speaker Ben Toma immediately highlighted his opposition to the governor’s announcement, saying, “Empowerment Scholarship Accounts are wildly popular with Arizona parents because they leverage private sector solutions to offer the best educational opportunities for their children. Meanwhile, Governor Hobbs and Democratic Party legislators now seek to strangle ESAs and private education with bureaucracy and regulation. I won’t allow that to happen.”
The state’s schools chief, Superintendent Tom Horne, also issued his own statement, focusing on the governor’s proposition to mandate “accountability” for user purchases in the ESA program. Horne said, “One proposal stands out because it’s already in place: The governor recommends a manual review of ESA purchases over $500. My office already reviews all expense requests regardless of amount, unlike the previous superintendent who approved many frivolous requests. In 2023, we rejected several thousand ESA applications for lack of adequate documentation and suspended almost 2,200 accounts totaling $21 million because the student was enrolled in a public school. We’ve also rejected more than 12,000 ESA purchase order requests.”
Other legislative Republicans shared their sentiments against Hobbs’ proposals. Senator Jake Hoffman posted the following to his “X” account: “Let’s be very clear… Katie’s half cocked attempt to destroy an invaluable parental choice option via ‘death by a thousand cuts’ is DOA at the Capitol. The Arizona Freedom Caucus will make sure of it.”
Let’s be very clear…
Katie’s half cocked attempt to destroy an invaluable parental choice option via ‘death by a thousand cuts’ is DOA at the Capitol.
Representative Jacqueline Parker added, “Nothing lacks more accountability & transparency than the government school system. ESA’s are an extremely successful & equalizing solution, so of course democrats want to mess it up.”
Nothing lacks more accountability & transparency than the government school system. ESA’s are an extremely successful & equalizing solution, so of course democrats want to mess it up. 🤦🏻♀️ https://t.co/iZn9U0v23R
Arizona’s universal ESA program has long been a significant point of contention between members of the two major political parties in the state, though legislative Republicans scored a huge victory in 2023 when they negotiated a budget compromise with Hobbs that left the historic school choice opportunities completely unscathed. After news of the budget agreement hit the wires, many Democrats and education interest groups levied their disappointment and disapproval over the governor’s inability to extract any concessions with the program. Hobbs spent the rest of the year picking fights with Horne over the stewardship and leadership of ESAs in an attempt to win back political capital, leading to this announcement just ahead of the commencement of the upcoming session.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona’s historic universal school choice program has seen significant growth in its first full year of operations.
Last month, the Executive Director for Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, John Ward, sent three emails to give a comprehensive update to families about the state of the program at year’s end. Ward first noted that the ESA program had grown from 13,400 students to 72,500 students over 15 months since the Arizona Legislature approved the expansion and then-Governor Doug Ducey signed the bill into law.
Director Ward also highlighted the economic efficiency of ESA, stating that “ESA parents educate their students for 27 percent less funding than students in traditional public schools.” According to the email from Ward, “State taxpayers currently spend approximately $9,800 per ESA student on average” compared to $13,400 from “federal, state, and local taxpayers to educate students attending traditional public schools on average.” Ward also pushed back on one of the main attacks against the program, sharing a projection from the Department of Education that the “State will end fiscal year with a $57M education budget surplus,” adding that “a surplus is not an indication of bankruptcy.”
In the second email to ESA families, Ward offered helpful tips to ensure that account holders would be compliant with their submissions. Those tips included “reviewing state law and the ESA Parent Handbook to become familiar with program requirements, submitting complete purchase documentation and curricula when required,” and refraining from purchases of unallowable items.
Ward’s final email gave a look at the future of the ESA program. The focus for the ESA program in 2024 would be further enhancements to the ClassWallet platform to improve user experience and to reduce times of approval for purchases and reimbursements. Fixes to the ClassWallet Marketplace are expected to occur first, followed by tweaks to DirectPay, reimbursements, and debit cards.
The new ESA Director inherited the program in a strong position thanks to the work of Superintendent Tom Horne’s first director, Christine Accurso, who did not have that luxury at the start of the year. Accurso, who has been one of the state’s leading pro-life and school choice leaders for years, joined the Horne administration after thwarting a ballot challenge to the universal ESA program. Horne and Accurso were tasked with bringing the expanded program under compliance with the law and eliminating the significant backlog of requests left by the previous administration. She resigned her position in July, expressing her grateful heart “to have had the opportunity to get the ESA program back on track and functioning well.”
As the Arizona Legislature returns to session in a matter of weeks, the ESA program will be under even more scrutiny as Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs and her legislative allies may attempt to gut or trim school choice in the state. Horne, though, has proven to be a relentless defender of the program, as have Republicans in the Legislature. This issue will undoubtedly be one of the top points of contention between the two sides – especially in an election year, when both Democrats and Republicans believe that they can use ESAs and school choice to their political advantage with undecided voters.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The holiday season didn’t bring holly and jolly to the ongoing feud between Arizona’s Democrat Governor and Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In the days leading up to Christmas, Governor Katie Hobbs and Superintendent Tom Horne exchanged press releases over their dueling perceptions of the due date of the quarterly Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) report.
On December 21, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting, Sarah Brown, transmitted a letter to Horne, asking him to send the FY 2024 Quarter 1 Report for the ESA Program to statutory recipients by the following day. Brown opined that this “late report comes after a number of stories showing a concerning lack of accountability and transparency in the ESA program.”
Governor Hobbs posted a short statement to her “X” account, asserting that “Arizonans deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. We need true accountability and transparency in the ESA voucher program.”
Arizonans deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. We need true accountability and transparency in the ESA voucher program. https://t.co/n6SXNb9VnV
Horne wasted no time in responding to the latest attack on the program he guides and stewards, saying, “The Department of Education has been in contact with the Governor’s Office for nearly three weeks regarding this issue. They are fully aware that we are preparing the report she has requested. Nothing is being withheld.”
Brown also accused Horne of essentially mismanaging dollars in his budget, highlighting the Department of Education’s spending of “millions of dollars advertising the program even with the escalating costs that threaten to crowd out critical spending from the State budget.”
The superintendent’s marketing efforts for the ESA program were practically mandated and empowered earlier this year with the passage of the State’s budget between Governor Katie Hobbs and Legislative Republicans, when freshman Senator Janae Shamp reportedly earmarked $10 million for school choice advertising at the Arizona Department of Education. On August 24, Shamp responded to a critical piece about the targeted funds, writing, “Families are not getting the REAL facts. So called ‘reporting’ by the left and their media henchmen fails to acknowledge the true winners of this money well spent…THE KIDS! Now they will receive education that meets their personal needs.”
Families are not getting the REAL facts. So called "reporting" by the left and their media henchmen fails to acknowledge the true winners of this money well spent…THE KIDS! Now they will receive education that meets their personal needs! https://t.co/o6I5uDgpEK
Before Shamp’s allocation, Horne had executed marketing campaigns for the ESA program, though at far less expense than the levels he obtained after the latest State budget.
The Governor’s Office also pointed out the revelations of ESA dollars being used to fund “ski passes and luxury car driving lessons.” In his response to this criticism, Horne retorted that those “frivolous ESA spending approvals occurred under the administration of the Governor’s friend, Kathy Hoffman.” He added that his department had “reviewed more than 15,000 ESA applications, rejecting thousands that were incomplete in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 alone.”
As he closed his statement, the Republican schools chief wished his readers a “Merry Christmas!”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
