APACHE JUNCTION, AZ — Some parents who use Arizona Empowerment Scholarship funds are pushing back against the state for upping requirements to get reimbursed for educational materials. Rosemary McAtee homeschools most of her children with the help of ESA funds and her expenses are like any other classroom. “From 2019 on, I have been able to get basic school supplies, reading books, those sorts of things, without needing to submit a curriculum,” McAtee said.
She sings the praises of the ESA program. “It's given us a lot of choices for how our education looks like,” McAtee said. Now, parents using ESA funds must submit a curriculum for any supplementary materials, from books to pencils and more.
"Making your life more difficult,” McAtee said. McAtee, along with another parent and the conservative think tank, Goldwater Institute, are suing over the recent change that requires all materials bought to have a curriculum in order to be reimbursed. The lawsuit says the requirement “needlessly exacerbates a backlog of tens of thousands of purchase orders awaiting review, and senselessly burdens and limits parents in their ability to provide for the education of their children.
” "I just really hope to relieve the stress of a lot of parents,” McAtee said. ABC15 has reported extensively on how ESA money went towards purchasing things including karate lessons , new pianos, golf gear, and even ski tickets. Attorney General Kris Mayes' office said that based on those expen.
