School Decision

Colorado's ERBOCES dissolution leaves 44 homeschool enrichment programs and 6,000 students scrambling as new guardrails take effect

State crackdown leads to co-op's disbandment; programs face Sept. 4 deadline to find new authorizers as only 3 of 44 gain state approval.

On Aug. 17, School District 49’s board voted unanimously to dissolve Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ERBOCES), a co-op that had become a lightning rod over its authorization of state-funded homeschool enrichment programs. The move leaves 44 such programs without an authorizer, with a Sept. 4 deadline to find a new one and inform the Colorado Department of Education. The state had approved only 3 of the applications submitted by ERBOCES and denied 18, according to Chalkbeat. Several denials came because the enrichment funding would have subsidized students attending private schools.

Arkansas panel approves study of proposed $100 million personal education tax credit

The interim study would examine a refundable credit of up to $3,000 per child, layered on the state's existing Education Freedom Account program, which served 14,256 students last year.

The Arkansas House and Senate Education Committees, meeting jointly on August 4, approved Interim Study Proposal 2025-089, requesting the House Committee on Education to study the creation of a personal education tax credit program. The proposal, submitted by Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers, calls for a refundable credit of up to $3,000 per child for expenses including tuition, fees, textbooks, curriculum materials, tutoring, educational therapies, transportation, and technology.

New Mexico education department shuts down Las Cruces online school on opening day, citing moratorium

State officials halted the Aspire Online School on July 27, saying the district bypassed approval steps and violated a legislative pause on new virtual programs enacted after a $35 million funding shortfall.

Arizona Supreme Court to decide if Prop 212 survives signature challenge

The initiative to restrict Arizona's universal ESA program is roughly 10,000 signatures short under a lower court ruling. The high court is weighing whether duplicate signatures were double-counted, which could add back about 24,000 signatures and save the measure.

The Arizona Supreme Court is deciding whether Proposition 212, the Protect Education Act, will appear on the November ballot. The initiative would impose the first major restrictions on Arizona's universal Empowerment Scholarship Account program, now serving over 100,000 students at an annual cost exceeding $1 billion. A trial judge ruled the measure falls about 10,000 signatures short of the 255,949 required, but the high court is weighing whether his formula improperly double-counted invalidated duplicate signatures. If the court agrees, roughly 24,000 signatures would be added back sufficient to qualify. The court is expected to rule by August 20 to meet the ballot printing deadline.

Iowa ESA Hits Universal Eligibility as Rural Districts Cut Programs, Staff, and Budgets

Participation in Iowa's education savings account program exceeds projections, while rural public districts report enrollment declines and budget cuts to electives and teaching positions.

Iowa's education savings account program entered its second year of universal eligibility in the 2026-27 school year, with all K-12 students in accredited nonpublic schools able to receive state funding regardless of family income. The ESA amount for 2026-27 is set at $8,148 per student, matching the state cost per pupil. The program, established by the Students First Act signed in January 2023, phased in eligibility by income over three years before dropping all income limits for the 2025-26 school year.

Federal tax credit scholarship program set for 2027 launch; 91.7% of K-12 students income-eligible, but state opt-in determines access

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act creates the first federal tax credit scholarship program. Income eligibility is broad, but scholarships only flow in states whose governors opt in. The $1,700 per-donor credit cap and lack of school requirements distinguish it from state programs.