Ducey snuck $50 million into school vouchers to pay for all-day K? Hell no, Hobbs says

It’s bad enough that Arizona’s universal voucher program is well on its way to becoming a financial catastrophe for the state, with Republican legislators unwilling even to apply the brakes to slow the runaway program.

Bad enough that the public is now paying an average of $10,000 per child to cut the tuition tab for well-to-do parents whose kids were already attending private schools.

Now we learn that Gov. Doug Ducey, in his final days in office, quietly allocated an additional $50 million to fund all-day kindergarten for children in his voucher program.

Put another way: Free all-day kindergarten for the 5-year-old attending private school on the public’s dime.

But for the 5-year-old attending Arizona’s public schools?

Sorry, kid. There’s no guarantee.

Hobbs pulled back Ducey's ESA cash

On Wednesday, Gov. Katie Hobbs pulled back the $50 million from the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.

Hobbs said the money, which came from state’s allotment of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, was intended to address educational disparities.

“Today, we held the Ducey Administration accountable for illegally handing out a $50 million ESA grant,” she tweeted. “Instead, we’re going to put that money to good use. In my administration, we are committed to ESA accountability, protecting taxpayer dollars, and truly investing in public education.”

Daniel Scarpinato, who was Gov. Ducey’s spokesman, said Hobbs is "kowtowing to her far left base." Public schools, he said, can offer all-day K if they prioritize it.

“Districts have been provided record resources and have said they want flexibility with the dollars — this is an area worthy of investment and some do offer it,” he said.

“This provides an additional option. But Katie Hobbs is now the governor — she doesn’t want these kids to have access, and that’s on her. I suppose your prior column, and other statewide elected Democrats running circles around her, is getting to her.”

Every Arizona student deserves all-day K

Or it could just be that she finds it galling that the state would allocate $50 million more for private school kids to attend a full-bodied kindergarten program but can’t spare so much as a dime for kindergartners who attend public schools.

Still, I can’t help but wish that Hobbs, who caved on her vow to repeal or even cap vouchers, had insisted on a state budget that ensured every child had access to all-day kindergarten rather than ripping the program away from some children.

Arizona still ranks dead last or close to it when it comes to funding public schools.

Spending has increased in the last few years, but a fair amount of that is due to federal pandemic funding, which is due to go away next year.Nobody keeps track of how many school districts offer free all-day kindergarten, though a number of them do, often funding the program through budget overrides paid with local property taxes.

But some districts don’t — or can’t — which is practically a crime given the crying need to boost academic achievement in this state.

At one time, we invested in kindergarten

Simply put: every Arizona child should have access to full-day kindergarten.

Once upon a time, they did.

Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2006 pushed through $160 million in state funding for all-day kindergarten.

Republican legislators begrudgingly went along with it in exchange for Napolitano’s guarantee that she wouldn’t veto their new school voucher program — one to allow foster and special needs children to use public money to attend private school.

New direction: Board approves big changes to school voucher program

She also had to accept a new corporate tax credit program to fund private school scholarships.

But in 2010, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature killed all-day K as part of an overall slash to public education during the Great Recession.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Ducey's wrong, but no high-fives for Hobbs

Tuition tax credits not only survived but were expanded.

And vouchers — which were struck down by Arizona Supreme Court in 2009, only to return in a different form in 2011 — are now offered to any child who wants one, even if he or she already attends a private school.

As for all-day K?

Like I said, sorry, kid.

Ducey’s sneak move to boost private school kindergartners while leaving public school kids behind was wrong and right on brand.

But it’s hard to high five Hobbs for denying any 5-year-old the educational benefits that come with full-day kindergarten.

How much better might it have been, had the governor demanded — as her Democratic predecessor once did — that every child have that same chance?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hobbs has killed Ducey's quiet effort to expand school vouchers