Approved Program Expenses
No, the statute requires that parents cannot be reimbursed for expenses– you must use the ESA debit card that is provided to you.
In order to purchase any educational product(s), it must fall under one of the approved expenditures. Science projects may be purchased only under the ”curriculum” provision. To meet the definition, the science project must be bought as part of a larger course of study for a specific grade level– it may not be purchased as a stand-alone product.
The ESA statute does not allow books to be bought separately. However, if a textbook that is part of a curriculum, requires additional reading such as classic or other literature piece in order to complete the curriculum; then the additional required item(s) is approved and may be purchased.
Field trips are not an eligible expense. However, there are educational classes that are held at places like the science center. If one of these are attended they must be included in your quarterly expense report under “tutoring” which also requires proof of accreditation by the instructor.
Curriculum is an approved expense under the ESA program, but since it is not clearly defined in statute ADE has provided a definition:
“Curriculum is generally defined as a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level.”
Curriculum, as defined by the department, may include a set of math books or English texts. It does not include supplemental material that is not part of a “complete course of study.”
For example, you can buy the “Saxon Grammar” curriculum, but not “Cat in the Hat” as it is not a part of a “complete course of study.”
ADE does allow the purchase of some supplemental reading materials if they are required by the textbook. For example, your English text may require you to read “The Tale of Two Cities” or other stand-alone classics.
There is not an approved item in the ESA law that allows funds to be used for summer camps and or other activities apart from “Curriculum”, “Tutoring”, and “Educational Therapy”. Funds cannot go to fund summer camps.
If an educational camp provides a “curriculum,” that may be paid for using ESA funds.
If parents have specific question about approved expenses, please e-mail the ESA group at esa@azed.gov
Eligibilty & Application Information
This must be determined on a case by case basis by reviewing district enrollment data. As a rule, a district will not count you as a late enrollment unless you do not attend the first ten days of school. Please contact your local district or school to determine enrollment status.
In order to qualify for the ESA program a student must have attended an Arizona public school the prior year. Children from out of state would need to enroll in a public school for at least the first 100 days before they would be eligible for the ESA program.
Yes, if he does not miss ten consecutive days without school permission then he would still qualify for the ESA program; attendance is different from enrollment.
Yes, the ESA awards are made available to replace monies given to the schools not to supplement them. By signing the yearly contract and accepting an award you agree to withdraw your child from the public school system and place them in a private, tutor based or private-online setting.
No, the IEP process takes months of observation and evaluation by teachers, administrative personnel, support staff and medical professions. If you have accepted an ESA award the local school district is no longer required to observe or evaluate your child to create a full IEP. However, in order to stay current on the ESA program parents are required to maintain a current MET/Eligibility Determination. Please review the AZ-TAS Evaluation & Eligibility guidelines for step by step instructions to maintaining your child’s eligibility.
To determine if your child’s STO scholarship is a qualifying scholarship under A.R.S § 43-1505 , ESA Staff will contact the Department of Revenue (DOR) for verification. Before submitting an ESA application please visit the DOR website to determine if your child’s STO scholarship is a qualifying scholarship or contact:
Karshannon Gene 602-716-6942 Arizona Department of RevenueUnfortunately, if the student was not enrolled in a public school for the 1st 100 days of the prior school year then that student does not qualify for an ESA scholarship.
Please check with your school or shool district’s calendar for the 100th day.
This question must be reviewed on a case by case basis by reviewing enrollment data provided by the district. Since the statute requires enrollment for the first 100 days of the school year, ADE is bound by that rule. However, enrollment does not mean attendance and a student is only disenrolled from school if they do not attend for ten consecutive days. If you feel that this may be the case please contact your school and ask the question “Was my child enrolled for the first 100 days of school?”
If your child’s IEP expires after you submit the ESA application, the application will still be accepted and evaluated by ESA administrators. If your child is eligible for a scholarship, the amount awarded will be contingent upon ESA administrators receiving the child’s current IEP. A current IEP must be received no later than the disbursement of funds date. No funds will be disbursed until the current IEP is received by ESA administrators.
Before any ESA disbursement can be sent to an approved student an official “Pupil Withdrawal Form” must be sent to the Arizona Department of Education.
ESA staff requires current determination paperwork throughout the application process and requires parents to maintain that paperwork to renew their ESA agreement in subsequent years.
Please keep in mind that an IEP is valid for one year from the date of determination, and an MET is good for three years from the date of determination.
ESA staff will only process late applications if it can be shown to be administrative error.
Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) is a written report developed by the public school that includes strengths, weaknesses and priority educational needs to access general education curriculum which will translate into a PLAAFP for IEP.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is a written report created by an IEP team (which includes the parents) in which goals are developed based on Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance (PLAAFP).
An ESA contract is a one year agreement made between the Arizona Department of Education and the applicant parent of the ESA child. Please see the ESA Contract for more information.
ESA will begin accepting applications starting January 1, 2013 through May 1, 2013.
The dealine for applications and documentation (e.g . IEP, MET, 504 Plan, active duty military proof and proof of foster/ adopted children) must be submitted to our office by May 1, 2013 at 3pm.
ESA staff will not process any applications or documentation received after that day or time.
No, an ESA scholarship and an STO scholarship may not be used concurrently. Use of an STO scholarship while on the ESA program will disqualify you from receiving funds.
Funding & Debit Cards
Please contact the Bank of America to report your ESA debit card as lost or stolen and they will be reissued.
You can contact Customer Support at 1-866-692-9374
The ESA pre-paid debit cards have been restricted from certain transactions in an effeort to reduce misspending. Limiting their transaction capacity has also led to some approved locations not being able to access ESA funds. In an effort to resolve this debit card issue the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office has created a list of approved spending locations identified by credit card codes (MCC codes).
Some of the MCC codes have been allowed due to vendors of approved expenditures sharing offices with other businesses or running multiple businesses from one location. The approved MCC codes are not an approved list of expenditures which can be seen here.
If you are having difficulty accessing your card for what you believe is an approved expenditure please review the list of Approved MCC Codes.
If you have an approved expense that is being declined, please obtain the merchants MCC code (Merchant Category Classification Code) from the merchant and if it is not included on the list of currently approved MCC codes please fill out this form and submit it to The Arizona State Treasurer’s Office at LorraineJ@aztreasury.gov .
Note: any MCC code that you wish to add to the approved list must be authorized by the Arizona Department of Education.
The ESA program diverts public school dollars for the benefit of educating special needs children in a private or hybrid educational setting. The Arizona Department of Education in conjunction with the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office is entrusted with ensuring that public tax dollars are spent in accordance with the law. ESA debit card restrictions are put in place to ensure monies that flow from the ESA program are spent to expand educational choice to parents and children but also to provide assurance to Arizona tax payers that all ESA funds are appropriated correctly.
Yes, although the school finance formula is complex, a ballpark estimate of award amounts can be seen by viewing the Approximate Funding Levelsdocument.
The main reason why ESA funds do not arrive on time is due to late expenditure reports. ADE requires quarterly expenditure reports to be maintained and reviewed before the next ESA disbursement is dispensed. Late expenditure reports may delay your next disbursement a matter of weeks.
ESA Renewal
If there is a delay in acquiring a new ‘Eligibility Determination Form’ from the district, ESA staff will conditionally approve renewal contracts and disburse funds once the form has been submitted.
ESA staff will not remove existing qualified students from the program, but will delay funding until the requested documentation is presented.
ESA staff is beholden to the laws established by the state legislature. Funding for ESA students is based on a “district determination” and can be altered due to a change in eligibility determined by the district.
IEPs are a determination created by the local districts under federal and state law. By accepting an ESA, parents have chosen to remove themselves from the public system that develops IEPs. Parents may use ESA funds to contract with a district to develop an IEP, but must pay for their services.
The Department has been given the authority to remove ESA students from the program for any reason. However, ESA staff will give the reason for removal in private correspondence to the parent and outline the process for appealing the Department’s decision.
If the Department requests an ‘Eligibility Determination Form’ to maintain eligibility; first, contact your last attended public school district to obtain one (the request can take up to sixty days to process). The Department understands that this can take a while, so return the renewal packet before June 30 with or without the updated determination. If you return it without, simply state in the returned packet that you will be submitting the ‘Determination Form’ once you receive it.
There are many reasons why funding would change for an ESA student year to year.
The most common changes are related to age and grade; Pre-School and Kindergarten students are only funded for half the amount that 1st -12th graders are funded. Also, 1st -3rd grades only receive a slight bump in funding. Lastly, a change in their IEP or MET’s eligibilty could also impact funding positively or negatively.
Per Section 612(a)(10)(A)(i)(II) of IDEA 2004; the district that the private school is located in, should evaluate the student. Please see the following FAQ document from the Ed.gov webpage regarding children with disabilities placed by the parents in private schools (question B-9): http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/faq-parent-placed.doc
Question B-9: Which LEA is responsible for ensuring that a reevaluation of each parentally placed private school child with a disability is conducted at least once every three years?
Answer: The LEA where the private elementary school or secondary school is located is responsible for conducting reevaluations of children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in the private elementary schools and secondary schools located within the district.
Tutor, therapist & aide
Yes, ESA statute allows parents to hire certified paraprofessionals. In order to qualify as a paraprofessional for the ESA program, parents must submit proof, on behalf of the paraprofessional/aide, to the Department. To qualify, one the following requirements must be met:
- An Associate’s degree or higher OR
- 60 semester hours of coursework documented on an official transcript from an accredited institution of higher education OR
- Meet a rigorous standard of quality as demonstrated through the passage of a formal state assessment listed below:
- Para Pro
- ACT Workkeys
- Master Teacher’s Para Educator Learning Network
For more information on taking the state assessment please contact:
Highly Qualified Professionals
Tel: (602) 364-1842
Approved Expense: “Educational therapies or services for the qualified student from a licensed or accredited practitioner or provider” (ARS § 15-2402).
Much like a tutor, ADE requires parents seeking services to prove licensure or accreditation of their provider. With a myriad of possible accreditation options for different types of therapies and services, requirements are approved on a case by case basis.
Please contact ESA staff if you have an accreditation questions or would like to submit a program evaluation email: esa@azed.gov
Approved Expense: “Tutoring services provided by a tutor accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization” (ARS 15-2402).
ADE requires parents to submit accreditation on behalf of the tutor for one of the following: 1) a state teaching certificate 2) national board certification 3) individuals who completed teacher preparation in another state at an institution of higher education whose teacher preparation program has been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). 4) A teacher who received a regional accreditation under the NASDTEC Interstate Contract. 5) A nationally accredited tutoring facility (a parent may submit the learning centers’ credentials in place of the individual tutor since they may be learning from multiple teachers).
Note: A parent must submit credentials for each tutor (or accredited facility) teaching their child only once. If services are discontinued and a new tutor is hired, new credentials are required to be submitted with the next quarter’s expense report.
General Information
ESA Informational Slideshow (Please see other FAQ’s to obtain reference documents)
No, ADE does not promote any private school or vendor.
ESA staff must defer to the district IEP team when disability categories are in question. Other documentation is not considered when funding ESA accounts.
ESA will begin accepting applications starting January 1, 2013 through May 1, 2013.
The dealine for applications and documentation (e.g . IEP, MET, 504 Plan, active duty military proof and proof of foster/ adopted children) must be submitted to our office by May 1, 2013 at 3pm.
ESA staff will not process any applications or documentation received after that day or time.
Any unspent funds will continue to roll over into the next quarters.
No, ESA debit cards will arrive on the date of the first disbursement. Simply activate the card and, for ease of use, log on to your account online. Please contact Bank of America Customer online customer support for help.
Note: Cards will arrive in a plain white window envelope with no indication that it is from Bank of America– Please don’t throw it away! If you accidentally throw it away, you must contact Bank of America immediately. They will cancel the 1st card and resend another typically within 7-10 business days. ESA cannot order cards on your behalf.
