PHOENIX: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced that the state’s former governor misappropriated US$50 million in funds that had been provided by the American Rescue Plan, reported UPI.
Former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey allocated the money to the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program, which allows parents to use the money that would have gone to education taxes to send their children to the school of their choice.
The funds were supposed to pay for half-day kindergarten for students in public school, but the money never went to the state Department of Education, Hobbs said.
Illegally giving US$50 million to private schools while failing to properly invest in public education is just one egregious example of the previous administration’s blatant disregard for public school students, Hobbs said. I will always fight to protect our public schools and work to give every Arizona student the education they deserve.
Hobbs’ offices said that the grant violated multiple constitutional provisions, including equal protection, the gift clause, and maintenance of a general and uniform public school system. She also said that the grant violated provisions of the American Rescue Act.
Hobbs said that her office was looking at alternative ways to spend the money.-Bernama
