The Arizona Department of Education plans to clear a backlog of reimbursements for families using the state’s school voucher program. It will automatically reimburse 85,000 purchases of up to $2,000 and audit them later.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne made the announcement at this week’s State Board of Education meeting.
“For those whose applications are approved because they’re $2,000 or less without checking, if the audit shows that they were improper, the money can be clawed back and if it’s fraudulent, there can be more severe consequences to that," Horne said.
Horne sad once the backlog is taken care of, the department should be back to approving requests within 30 days. The state had received complaints from parents that it was taking too long for them to be reimbursed.
The announcement prompted concerns from Save Our Schools Arizona’s Beth Lewis.
In a press release, she called the automatic approvals a "recipe for disaster," adding that it "props the door wide open for fraud and abuse."
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The Republican candidates for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction faced off in a primary election debate Thursday night. -
The president of Arizona’s largest teachers’ union says a recent audit of the state’s school voucher program reinforces what teachers have been saying for years: that the program is fraught with waste and abuse. -
TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said he and a board member have sat down with ASDB parents and “made promises.” -
Following a scathing report by state auditors, both Republicans and Democrats say something needs to change in Arizona’s billion-dollar school voucher program. -
The Democratic candidates for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction faced off in a primary election debate Wednesday night. Both candidates agreed the state’s voucher system needs more oversight.
