Microschool founder praises ESA impact in Arizona

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — In the wake of the pandemic, many parents and students began looking for alternative forms of education and the founder of one microschool in the East Valley says state funding makes it easier for families and educators to choose a different educational environment. 

On the outside, the large, one-level home that houses Adamo Microschool appears to be like most others in this upscale Queen Creek neighborhood.

There are small desks. Instructions on a whiteboard. Even cubbies.

The makings of a school are scattered throughout Tamara Becker’s home.

RELATED: The 12News I-Team looked into which zip codes are receiving the most school vouchers. Here’s what the data showed.

Thanks to the state’s Empowerment Scholarships, home schooling with a twist — microschools — are becoming more accessible across the state.

“The ESA program has been a huge benefit to many families,” Becker said.

Home schooling has been legal in Arizona since 1982, and microschools were around before the pandemic.

They took off when traditional public schools shut down during COVID.

Parents can use ESA money for tuition, and the annual cost for Becker’s school is $6,800 for most children. Proponents of ESAs point out that it’s far less than what it costs taxpayers to fund students in traditional district or charter schools.

“The tuition covers the majority of what the ESA families get,” Becker said. “I don’t charge parents anything extra. If they can’t cover it…I’ll scholarship them.”

Becker has spent 28 years in education, which includes running an online charter school.

She opened Adamo, her microschool, in 2021 in a partnership with a charter school.

“Adamo comes from the Latin word to fall in love with, and I wanted kids to enjoy what they’re doing and love it here,” she said.

Becker said she transitioned to a fully funded ESA program in February. 

“We had to ask all of our families to go ESA, and all but two families did,” she said.

Becker had 52 kids between kindergarten and eighth grade for the school year that just ended.

One group came in the morning. The other in the afternoon. There was also homework when they were not in class.

While the smaller kids are in rooms that resemble a traditional classroom, the older kids do their lessons sitting around the kitchen bar and table.

They also move to a large, comfy couch in the living room to watch a lesson on space travel on a big screen TV.

Certified teachers lead them.

“We don’t do anything really different than a traditional school would do,” Becker said. “We’re teaching reading, writing, math, science and social studies. Three times a year, we do a benchmark assessment.”

Until three years ago, microschools were primarily part of Arizona’s charter school system, while splitting the state funding.

There was oversight from the state Charter Board and charter school administrators.

But when universal vouchers came into play in summer 2022, microschools could qualify as private schools and operate with no state regulations or standardized tests.

That’s a problem, according to Beth Lewis, a teacher who runs Save Our Schools Arizona.

“I think most Arizona voters, Arizona taxpayers, say: ‘If I’m giving you money, I want to know what’s going on in that school and how my dollars are being used, at least to a certain level,’” she said.

But Ariel Derrick, a San Tan Valley mom with two kids at Becker’s microschool, said she couldn’t be more pleased.

“I’ve seen such a drastic difference in both my kids. My daughter specifically told me she wants to cancel summer because she would rather be here,” Derrick said. “The teachers care about the kids, and they make sure each one of them feels special.”

Becker has at least 65 students signed up for the next school year, with plans to expand to San Tan Valley. And a small group of students will attend summer school.

“Parents vote with their feet in this state, and I’m so lucky to be a part of that. But, yea, if parents were not happy or satisfied with the education, if the students weren’t happy or satisfied, they’d just walk out the door,” she said.

You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12+ app! 

The free 12+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like “Today in AZ” and “12 News” and our daily lifestyle program, “Arizona Midday”—on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. 

12+  showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. 

Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives. 

Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for “12 News KPNX.” 

Amazon Fire TV: Search for “12 News KPNX” to find the free 12+ app to add to your account, or have the 12+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.