PAY TO PLAY USING ESA?

West Valley school districts are adding a dollar value to their courses and sports to get ESA dollars back into their budgets.

School choice.

We’ve just caught onto a new trend where public schools can recapture dollars diverted to private entities.

You see, in Arizona, families can “customize their child’s education, including private school tuition, tutoring, therapy, and more.”

The ability for a student to dedicate their public school dollars toward diverse educational opportunities is a popular trend catching on nationwide.

As long as students are enrolled in core subjects, they can use ESA scholarship dollars to enroll in full-time private school - or choose to take courses from a variety of schools.

And that’s where our West Valley Families investigation comes into play. Public schools have found a way to get those ESA dollars coming back to their coffers.

I’m not here to debate school choice. I am here to show you how local high school districts are getting ESA dollars back into their budgets.

BY THE NUMBERS

Source: www.edchoice.org

• More than 76,000 Arizona school children are taking advantage of the school choice ESA benefits.

• The average ESA account value is now $9,782.

• Students with special needs receive additional funding depending on the services the student’s disability requires.

AGUA FRIA UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

If you’ve followed my work for any amount of time, you know my thoughts on Consent Agendas. This is a portion of a meeting agenda where supposedly mundane business actions are lumped together. (I say “supposedly” because I’ve found highly consequential actions hidden in consent agendas in both school districts and cities.) Lawmakers and governing board members typically approve everything listed under the consent agenda at once and without any debate.

But that was not the case last week where Agua Fria Union High School District governing board members Trey Terry and Eric Cultum asked for a measure regarding the calculation of the ESA Tuition Rate to be pulled and discussed.

Start at the 50:40 mark.

Agua Fria Union High School District Governing Board Meeting: June 5, 2024

The AFUHSD agenda item 8.26 called for:

“ESA Tuition shall be charged at $1,270.00 per class for each semester.  An additional $1,000.00 shall be charged for each club or extra curricular activity.  This would create a separate tuition rate for the purposes of ESA students.”

Board member Trey Terry expressed his desire to table the measure giving the board more time to learn about and work through the ESA rates proposal placing varied price tags on its classes, clubs and sports.

“As presented, I am not inclined to approve it tonight without some substantial work. And we’re dealing with math and formulas and I feel that could get quite messy to try to do tonight,” states Terry.

The former board president - who is now running for Goodyear City Council - specifically asks if the district is double charging for various slivers of the budgetary account. Terry provides an example in which the proposed fees would cost an ESA student a quarter of their scholarship to take just one semester of a Film & TV course.

The district’s Executive Director of Support Services Mike Shepard explains his calculations charging classes, clubs, and sports different rates to be recouped using ESA scholarship funds:

“We’re attempting to set that tuition to be the same revenue that just a regular, typical student that is enrolled with us would generate for the school district.

Pictured: Executive Director of Support Services Mike Shepard and Deputy Superintendent Academics & Schools Phillip Nowlin - June 5, 2024

“Our entire community funds education through their property taxes, through their sales tax, through casino gambling dollars. It kinda comes from a lot of different sources. But the attempt was to try to establish a rate that it would be equivalent to the same rate of revenue that was generated by a typical student that enrolls with us.” -Mike Shepard, June 5, 2024

In considering fees for sports, Agua Fria Union’s Phillip Nowlin explains the district’s calculations consider transportation, sports equipment, coaches’ salaries, referees, etc.

“We are never running in the black when it comes to co-curricular activities. So, this is not an attempt to try to recoup all of that dollars. We just know that obviously in this case we’re losing out on that ADM and this is an opportunity to make sure we’re finding some level of equity for our other students who are participating in these programs and ensuring that we’re able to continue to do that as this program continues to grow in our state.” -Phillip Nowlin, June 5, 2024

Board member Cultum says, “This is the first go for our district with ESA. This is the first time to set up the numbers. The cost per activity or club - per class session.” In thanking district staff regarding this new process, Cultum continues, “We’re obviously looking out for the best for our district, as well as how we would accommodate students who would eventually come through ESA.”

With sports programs, like football, starting in July, staff say early approval gives them time to inform ESA parents about the new opportunity to put their scholarship funds toward classes and sports in Agua Fria Union high schools.

A visibly frustrated Board Member Acton asks Terry about his concerns regarding staff calculations. He explains his concerns regarding the high rates and how Prop 123 dollars are included.

Early in the discussion, President Gina DeCoste says she doesn’t know enough about this measure and hasn’t spoken to anyone about it, but quips, “I like that the ESA tuition will go back into the public school system.” After the exchange between Acton and Terry, President DeCoste says she thinks the numbers sound fair and moves to pass the measure.

The AFUHSD “Approval ESA Tuition Rate” motion carries 3-1 with Terry a nay vote. Board member Landis was absent.

BUCKEYE UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

On tonight’s agenda in the Buckeye Union High School District, agenda item 6.12 offers “Discussion and Consideration for Approval of Continuance of Student Eligibility Rules (Article 15) Concerning AIA Guidelines for Online Charter School Students for the 2024-25 SY.”

“It is recommended by Administration that the Governing Board approves the continuance of our practice of not allowing online charter school students to participate in interscholastic athletics or activities for the 2024-25 SY.” -BUHSD agenda, June 10, 2024

The AIA - or Arizona Interscholastic Association - oversee high school sports. Its Enrollment Rule specifies, “Only students enrolled at a member school in grades 9 through 12, inclusive, shall be eligible for interscholastic competition, team practices and tryouts.”

Article 15 of the rule provides exemptions for home schooled students and students who attend online charter schools.

*VIEW AIA SPORTS ENROLLMENT RULES & EXEMPTIONS HERE.

AIA bylaws state, “a student who is enrolled in an Arizona online charter school and who is domiciled within the attendance zone of a member school, may be allowed to try out for interscholastic athletics and activities on behalf of that member school, if permitted by the member school’s governing board.”

“If permitted, the member school may charge online charter school students additional fees to participate in interscholastic athletics and activities.” - AIA Bylaws - 2024

We do not see where Buckeye Union High School District has established a fee for ESA students to pay to play in its sports. In fact, BUHSD staff don’t want online charter school students to have the ability to participate in its sports at all.

We’ll watch tonight to see what the governing board decides.

JEN’S TWO CENTS

When the pandemic hit, high school students had to make difficult decisions regarding their education.

I personally know student athletes who chose online schools - and were then declined the opportunity to play in public high school sports.

I understand that if a student takes their public dollars with them that they should not be able to participate in public school sports.

Now it makes sense to put a price tag on the sports, and opening up opportunities for ESA student athletes to come back to their public school to play. But how those rates are calculated is the big mystery. And I’m guessing each district will come to varying rates.

This is such a big conundrum… connecting a price to classes and sports allowing ESA students to participate in public schools. The kids want to broaden their educational and athletic choices. The public schools want them to come back. The money is the determining factor.

We’ll continue to follow the developments.

Please do send your news tips to me at jen@news2jb.com. Thanks!