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October 29, 2022By Sheri Dahl, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Tucson
“I feel like I won the lottery!” This was expressed by a parent several years ago after she learned of their acceptance into the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. This parent, at the time, had children enrolled in one of our Catholic schools where 100% of families qualify for free/reduced lunch. That memory has remained ingrained in my mind as a reminder that we have thousands of other parents and guardians who either currently have their children enrolled in our Catholic schools, or would like to have their children attend a Catholic school and see this latest expansion of the ESA program as a life-saver in terms of affording their children the opportunity to participate in a Catholic education.
The historic passage of HB 2853, or Universal ESA, has resulted in Arizona being the first state to have universal ESAs. With the scholarship opportunities of both tax credit scholarships and Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, Arizona has emerged as a leader in the nation for parental choice options in education. With this blessing comes much responsibility to ensure any scholarship funding is stewarded correctly and appropriately. To that end, our schools are working closely with families to ensure that parents/guardians understand the benefits and responsibilities of each type of scholarship option. They may not win the lottery, but with help and support from ESA and tax credit scholarships, they most certainly can enjoy the benefits of choosing a Catholic education for their children. And that is a win!
Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program
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