Begay, of Ganado, sponsored the bill to offer Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to all Native American families living on one of the state’s 22 reservations.
“Sen. Begay has a vision for Native Americans in Arizona and understands that receiving a quality education plays a crucial role in the future of every child,” said Kim Martinez, communications associate for the American Federation for Children. “We applaud his effort to fight for educational options for families, many of whom have children enrolled in low-performing schools and have nowhere else to turn.”
There are more than 55,000 Native American students in Arizona and according to the Arizona Department of Education most of those students attend schools on or near their reservation. SB1332 adds a new ESA eligibility qualifier that allows any child living on tribal lands to have access to the program. ESAs put the control of state allotted education funds into the parent’s hands. Parents can choose how to spend the funds including paying for private school tuition, online classes, homeschooling, or other education related expenses. The intent of SB1332 is to give families on tribal lands, mostly in rural areas, the opportunity to customize their children’s education if they so choose.
“On tribal lands, we don’t have the luxury of fighting over public versus private education,” said Sen. Begay. “We are in an on-going crisis when it comes to educating our kids and we welcome any high-quality options to help with this crisis. This bill empowers our parents to have choices and the funding to find the best education for their child. I don’t believe that ESAs will solve all the education challenges on tribal lands but empowering our parents is a great first step.”
Current ESA eligibility includes: students in D or F rated schools, students with special needs, students in adoptive care, students with an active-duty military parent, and siblings of an ESA recipient.
SB1332 next goes to the Arizona House for consideration.