PHOENIX — Governor Katie Hobbs says she is looking at every option available to get state lawmakers to curb the growth of universal school vouchers.
This week the Arizona Department of Education projected 100,000 students will be enrolled in the program this fall, costing taxpayers $900 million.
That's nearly double the allocation set aside in the 2024 budget.
"We know that going into this it was going to be out of control and had the potential to bankrupt our state," Governor Hobbs said.
From day one, Governor Hobbs opposed universal vouchers. Still, during budget negotiations with Republican House and Senate leaders, there was no attempt to place caps or cuts on the ESA program.
"Obviously this number wasn't published before the budget. We have a different set of facts we are dealing with now in terms of the actual cost," Governor Hobbs said.
Some wonder if the governor will have any leverage to slow down the program's growth.
House Minority Leader Andres Cano believes she can, "I think the Democratic caucus is united in our desire to ask the governor to put in some additional pressure on Republican lawmakers, whether that's a special session or working on an agreement in the interim between now and the next January."
Cano believes if nothing is done to curb the growth of ESAs, a year from now lawmakers will be making cuts to the budget.
"Are we going to have to cut from our state's Medicaid system? Are we going to cut from our housing crisis and the shortage that we are in to be able to make room for private school vouchers that are championed by the majority?" asked Cano.
Speaker of the House Ben Toma said the Department of Education's estimate "provokes natural skepticism."
The budget allocation for ESA was based on an expected enrollment of 68,000 students, Toma said.
The speaker said he will wait for the legislature's nonpartisan budget staff to review the ADE's voucher estimates before commenting further.
That analysis may not come until November.
