‘This is a joke, right?’ Flat earth inquiry lights up debate over Arizona’s tax-funded vouchers

“Anyone know of a flat earth curriculum?”

The question struck like a lightning bolt on a Facebook group built around Arizona’s school voucher program.

“Asking for a friend … this is a joke, right?” one participant wrote.

“Why would it be a joke?” came the response. “There’s plenty of people out there that believe the earth is flat. It’s not our job to judge. How do you know they’re not teaching both round and flat so their kids can decide for themselves?”

“How about just teach your kids the truth and not bogus theories?” replied another member of the group.

And so it went, for 246 comments from participants in the 19,000-member Empowerment Scholarship Account Networking Group in early September, before a moderator shut it down “because this post has been sadly derailed.”

The vigorous exchange highlighted the full faith of backers of Arizona’s first-in-the nation universal voucher program, as well as the wariness some participants have about going too far with the program’s almost nonexistent boundaries.

It came as the 2-year-old program faces scrutiny from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, adding to the critiques from fellow Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs, Democratic lawmakers and public-school advocates.

The program also has been celebrated in school choice circles, with other states quickly following Arizona’s lead and broadening their taxpayer-funded voucher programs to extend to all school-age children. Project 2025, a proposed road map for a potential Trump administration, cites Arizona’s ESA program as an example of how to empower parents to ensure the best education for their children.

As the Arizona program has grown — currently it has 76,500 students, up from 12,000 two years ago — attention has increasingly shifted to what taxpayer dollars are buying.

From espresso machines and private luxury-car driving lessons, to a recently rejected request to use the funds to buy three dune buggies, even advocates of the program are growing wary.

Count state schools Superintendent Tom Horne among them.

Horne said he was unaware if anyone had sought funds for a flat earth curriculum.

“If they did, we wouldn’t approve it because it’s not reasonable,” Horne said.

If his department approved everything that was requested, he said, taxpayers would be footing the bill, or at least part of it, for a $15,000 Rolex watch or $24,000 for a golf simulator — items that Horne said have been rejected.

“We’ve fought about excessive costs for cellos and pianos,” he said.

Horne said he’s trying to protect the program’s reputation by barring unreasonable expenses.

“If we let anything go, it ultimately will destroy the program,” he said, noting the public backlash.

The average voucher award is in the $7,000 to $8,000 range, according to agency reports. About 6,700 scholarships are worth $30,000 or more each, presumably to cover the higher cost for students with special needs.

Horne acknowledged there’s nothing in state law that would bar purchases such as a flat earth curriculum. In fact, the law specifically does not allow “any government agency to exercise control or supervision over any nonpublic school or homeschool.”

But Horne, who has spent millions from his budget promoting the ESA program, said he’s trying to protect the program’s reputation by barring unreasonable expenses.

Allowable items must meet a legitimate educational purpose, he said. In addition, the purchase can’t be a luxury item, such as the Rolex, but instead must align with market price, he said.

Rejected:Split Education Board decides school vouchers cannot buy dune buggies

Round or flat? Curriculum debate grows heated

It turns out someone in the networking group did know of a flat earth curriculum. At $47.99 on Etsy, “The Creation of the Earth: A Biblical Cosmology Curriculum” would fall well under the $7,000 level.

The networking group debated the wisdom of even considering the use of voucher funds to teach about whether the Earth is flat.

“Go on with your tin foil hat mess,” one member wrote. “Feel bad for your kids. ESA isn’t meant to teach kids misinformation.”

The Arizona Republic obtained screenshots of the lengthy exchange and verified it with another source who belongs to the group.

“If ever there were an argument for regulating homeschooling, this thread is full of it,” one participant wrote.

Another predicted the anti-voucher Save Our Schools organization would have a field day with the posts. One even speculated the flat earth inquiry was a setup from the group, which argues the program is sapping money that should go to Arizona’s public school system.

If it was a trap, people fell into it. But their comments reflected the core purpose of the voucher program: to broaden educational choice and give parents more say in their child’s education.

“This is an ESA group, we can ask for any curriculum to teach our kids that we as parents see fit,” one member wrote. “Some people believe in flat earth and some don’t. Y’all don’t want to try to discuss how gravity is only a theory. Let this mom teach her kids her way.”

“What is funny about this question?” another voucher parent wrote. “Have any of you laughing actually been to space and seen the shape (of the Earth)? How many of you laughing teach about God in your home? Anyone ever seen Him or know anyone that’s personally met Him? So if teaching about God is fine why is this laughable?”

Several efforts fail to put guardrails on voucher spending

The curriculum question was key: Expenditures must be tied to a curriculum. The dune buggy request, which the Education Department initially approved before the state Board of Education revoked it, was linked to a curriculum that was prepared with the help of an occupational therapist. The dune buggies would supplement a curriculum tailored to interactive learning, noting the children in question worked better in such environments.

Attorney General Mayes in July announced her office was investigating ESA expenditures to ensure they were tied to a curriculum. The Education Department quickly changed its policies to conform. But the investigation continues, as Mayes’ office said it was examining the use of ESA dollars for supplemental learning materials covering a four-year span.

Other efforts to rein in the program have failed.

Hobbs, in one of her first policy announcements after becoming governor, called for a repeal of the program. She has since moderated her stance, recognizing it would be hard to remove a program that people have come to rely on and that Republican lawmakers fiercely defend.

This year, Hobbs proposed a number of guardrails, such as posting graduation rates for students using ESAs and requiring minimum education qualifications for teachers who instruct ESA students. Only one passed: a requirement that such teachers be fingerprinted, mirroring the policy for public school teachers. However, there is no requirement to run the fingerprints against state and federal databases, as is mandatory for public school teachers.

Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation is surveying ESA families to “identify areas where the Arizona Department of Education and ClassWallet can make improvements.” ClassWallet is the vendor that reimburses voucher holders for their approved expenses.

The conservative-leaning think tank said independent researchers on its staff are conducting the survey. Neither the Education Department nor ClassWallet is involved.

Restricted:Fountain Hills schools choose not to allow voucher students to play sports

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.