Governor Katie Hobbs is accusing her predecessor of misappropriating $50 million dollars in taxpayer dollars.
On Thursday, May 24, Hobbs delivered a notice to the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office that the $50 million dollar grant made to the department in the final days of former Governor Doug Ducey's administration is illegal and invalid.
The money in question comes from the American Rescue Plan Act; Hobbs' team says the grant was to be used for funding all-day Kindergarten for ESA recipients, despite Arizona only providing half-day Kindergarten funding for public school students.
“Illegally giving $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.
According to the Governor's Office, the ESA grant agreement violates multiple constitutional provisions, including:
- equal protection
- the gift clause
- maintenance of a general and uniform public school system
Hobbs' team says the agreement is also at odds with the American Rescue Plan, due to the fact that it fails to explore educational disparities, which is reportedly a part of the agreement.
The Governor's Office will analyze other ways to disperse the $50 million dollars; it is uncertain at this time whether or not Governor Hobbs will pursue legal action on the matter.
——-
Austin "AJ" Janos is a producer for KGUN 9. He graduated in 2022 from the University of Arizona where he worked at UATV3 while attending college. Share your story ideas and important issues with AJ by emailing aj.janos@kgun9.com.
