How Tennessee's ESA compares to Arizona's category-leading ESA
Here's the vision, Tennessee
Tennessee’s ESA Pilot program needs less regulations and more parent direction and freedom. To get there, we can compare the Tennessee ESA pilot program with Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program and see where Tennessee can offer less regulations and more freedom. The goal must be to offer children a better education by allowing parents to direct their children’s educational dollars without “state board’s” interference.
In summary, Arizona offers a universal ESA program which means 100% of K-12 students are eligible - regardless of schooling status. Arizona does not discriminate against children based on the type of education they are receiving now or received in the past.
Eligibility
Tennessee ESA Pilot
Available to students in the counties that comprise Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga
Must be zoned for or currently attending a public school ranked in the bottom 10% statewide or transferring from one of these districts.
Limited to families with incomes not exceeding two times the federal free/reduced-price lunch eligibility (Source).
Arizona ESA Program
Universal: Open to all K-12 students, regardless of income or school type (public, private, charter, or homeschool) (Source).
Funding Amount
Tennessee ESA Pilot
Provides approximately $7,117 annually, based on the average state and local funding for public school students. (Source)
Arizona ESA Program
Offers 90% of state funding per student, between $6,000-$9,000 annually, with amounts adjusted based on local district funding (source).
Eligible Expenses
Tennessee ESA Pilot
Covers tuition, textbooks, uniforms, tutoring, transportation, and educational services but only through approved private providers. (Source)
Excludes an ESA Home Educator option thereby legally separating ESA homeschooled families from traditional homeschooled families.
Arizona ESA Program
Allows funds to be used for a wide range of educational expenses, including private school tuition, therapy, homeschooling curriculum, online programs, extracurricular activities, and educational technology. (Source)
Includes ESA Home Educator option as a separate legal category to protect traditional homeschoolers
Provider Restrictions
Tennessee ESA Pilot
Funds can only be spent at approved private schools that are accredited under Tennessee-recognized categories.
Parents have fewer choices in selecting schools or services for their children.
Arizona ESA Program
Minimal restrictions. Parents have nearly unlimited options to select private schools, services, or educational resources to suit their children’s needs. (Source)
Enrollment Cap
Tennessee ESA Pilot
Capped at 5,000 students initially, increasing by 2,500 annually to a maximum of 15,000 students.
Arizona ESA Program
No enrollment cap. The program is open to all eligible families.
Wishlist for Tennessee’s ESA Program
Expand Eligibility:
Goal: Universal ESA (every child is eligible to participate)
Short term ideas for getting there:
Remove income restrictions
Offer an ESA Home Educator option (separate legal category) with no schooling eligibility or burden placed on the parent.
Broaden Eligible Expenses:
Include all expenses school districts currently use educational dollars for, including but not limited to curriculum, therapy, extracurriculars, computers, and more non-traditional educational services with no restrictions.
Allow ESA funds to roll over from year to year within the child’s ESA account.
Include college expenses with unused funds
Remove Restrictions:
Trust parents to use funds for any school or provider they choose, without adding state approvals or accreditations. This only allows the state to maintain power over the dollars and we want the parents to have that freedom.
Eliminate Enrollment Cap:
Adopt an open-enrollment policy similar to Arizona, ensuring no limits on family participation.
Redirect educational funding from the system to the student
Introduce accountability and competition within the educational market for educational dollars
When a student leaves an educational provider, that provider loses the money for the service they are no longer providing to the student
Capitalism, not socialism