supplemental appropriation; ESA administration

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text confirms the recipient as the 'Superintendent of Public Instruction' rather than just the Department, though they are closely linked.

HB2500: Extra Funding for ESA Program Administration

This bill gives the Superintendent of Public Instruction $1 million and funding for 12 new staff members to manage the Empowerment Scholarship Account program in fiscal year 2026.

What This Bill Does

• Appropriates $1,000,000 from the state General Fund for fiscal year 2025-2026.
• Funds 12 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions to help run the program.
• Provides these resources specifically to the Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Arizona Department of Education.
• Supports the administration of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Arizona Department of Education and its staff
• Families using the Empowerment Scholarship Account program

Terms To Know

Supplemental Appropriation

Extra money added to a budget after it was first approved.

FTE (Full Time Equivalent)

A unit that measures the workload of one full-time employee.

General Fund

The main account where Arizona keeps most tax money for state spending.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill text does not list the specific job titles or duties of the new staff members.
• The official document states an effective date is missing, so it is unclear exactly when this funding begins.
• This summary only covers the administration budget and does not change rules for who can get a scholarship.

Official Summary Text

HB2500 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House:
APPROP DP 11-7-0-0

HB
2500
: supplemental appropriation; ESA administration

Sponsor:
Representative Gress, LD 4

House
Engrossed

Overview

Appropriates
$1,000,000 and 12 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions from the state General
Fund (GF) as a supplemental in FY 2026 to the Department of Education (ADE) to
administer the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

History

A qualified
student with an ESA may use ESA monies for permissible expenses, including: 1)
qualifying tuition or fees; 2) textbooks, curricula and supplementary
materials; and 3) outlined goods and services. Statute prescribes specified
categories of qualified students who are eligible for an ESA. In 2022, the
Legislature expanded eligibility to include a universal category for any
Arizona resident who: 1) is eligible to enroll in an Arizona public school; and
2) does not otherwise qualify for an ESA account. ESAs are funded at 90 percent
of the Base Support Level and charter additional assistance that a student
would have been allocated if the student were attending a charter school
(A.R.S. ��
15-2401
;
15-2401.01
; and
15-2402
).

The Arizona State
Board of Education (SBE) is charged with the appeals process for ADE's ESA
administrative decisions. The SBE annually approves the ESA Parent Handbook and
processes ESA appeals of ADE administrative decisions (
AZ SBE
).

Provisions

1.

Appropriates
$1,000,000 and 12 FTE positions from the state GF in FY 2026 to ADE to
administer the ESA program.

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Initials���������� DS/JA������������ HB
2500

3/5/2026��������� Page
0 House Engrossed

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Current Bill Text

HB2500 - 572R - H Ver

House Engrossed

supplemental
appropriation; ESA administration

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2500

AN
ACT

Appropriating monies to the superintendent
of public instruction.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Supplemental
appropriation; superintendent of public instruction; Arizona empowerment
scholarship account program; administration

In addition to the appropriation made
by Laws 2025, chapter 233, section 31, the sum of $1,000,000 and 12 FTE
positions are appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-2026
to the superintendent of public instruction to administer
the Arizona empowerment scholarship account program
established by section 15-2402, Arizona Revised Statutes.