Mesa Public Schools turns to unlikely source to continue educating homeschoolers

PHOENIX — Mesa Public Schools, which is experiencing declining enrollment and the state dollars that go with those kids, has found a new source of money from an unlikely source: Empowerment Scholarships.

Mesa has joined thousands of other vendors to accept education vouchers as Arizona’s rapidly expanding ESA program continues to grow, and public school districts are losing students.

“We have about 4,000 parents in the Mesa Public Schools boundaries who take advantage of ESAs,” said Mesa Superintendent Matt Strom. “What we want them to know is that there’s a place for them within Mesa Public Schools to use their dollars in an a la carte fashion that they can service the learning needs of their children.”

Mesa for nearly 30 years has welcomed home-school kids into the district even though no law requires public schools to do so.

Many Democrats in the legislature and public school advocates have criticized the ESA program, saying it’s loosely regulated, has no caps, and it will cost at least $1 billion this school year for just more than 90,000 kids. 

RELATED: Over 1 million ESA reimbursement requests have been automatically approved since December

A 12News investigation recently uncovered that home and private school parents with Empowerment Scholarship Accounts for their kids bought diamond rings and necklaces, Kenmore appliances, and even lingerie with education tax dollars.

Parents of ESA children also purchased more than 200 Apple iPhones, more than 50 smart TVs, and dozens of gift cards worth up to $500 each since last November, when the state’s Department of Education began automatically approving all ESA requests because of a massive backlog.

While there have been questionable—and possibly illegal—purchases, ESA advocates say the program gives parents a choice on where to educate their kids.

Mesa Schools says it fully welcomes ESA families even though it’s one of the few school districts across Arizona to do so, 12News has found.

It now provides up to three full days of education programs for almost 700 kids from kindergarten to 12th grade at Eagleridge Enrichment Program in West Mesa.

The rest of the week, the kids do their learning at home.

“We cycle classes out every couple years, but they range anywhere from hands-on science to PE to primary classes for our youngest learners, which do focus on some of the basics such as reading, writing, and math,” said Julie Davis, the school’s administrator.

Davis said the school has 19 certified teachers, which she said appeals to homeschool families who bring their kids to Eagleridge from all over metro-Phoenix.

One of those parents is Rhiannon Teaters.

“I have four kids at home, and they all four started at Eagleridge in kinder,” she said. “So, this is like a second home to us…I love the voucher program. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for families. We used to as homeschoolers have to provide everything out of pocket.”

Teaters is also a teacher at Eagleridge.

“We create our class every year. So this year, I have an origami, cool paper class. I have a famous art class, where we learn about famous artists,” she said. “I have a ceramics class and an improv class.”

Teaters, with a grin, said even her own kids take her classes at Eagleridge.

Public schools don’t have to accept homeschool kids, but about 95% of the funding for Eagleridge comes from ESA dollars.

Records obtained by 12News show total ESA funding in Mesa Schools has skyrocketed from $177,788 to nearly $1.5 million over the past three years as the ESA program has expanded to include all Arizona families.

While that’s a sliver of the district’s budget, Mesa has been forced to lay off staff, and it plans to vacate its downtown Mesa headquarters by next year and lease that building to make money.

The loss in funding comes from fewer kids.

In the past two decades, Mesa Schools has lost roughly 20,000 kids to its current population of about 54,000 students.

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