Republican candidate Andy Biggs wants to expand ESA options for rural and disadvantaged students

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, the Republican candidate for Arizona governor, said Friday he would focus on expanding school choice for rural and disadvantaged students if elected.

Biggs told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News that he has plans for making charter and private schools more accessible.

“If you were to actually incentivize charters and private schools to go into, let’s say, economically disadvantaged or rural areas, which you can do, you provide the opportunity for more kids to have more choice in using ESAs, etc.,” he said, referring to the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program.

The Arizona ESA program allows parents to spend tax money that otherwise would have been used on their child’s public education for private school or homeschooling expenses. More than 104,000 students are enrolled for the 2026-27 school year, but critics argue that the program is unfair to families who don’t live close to private schools and can’t afford transportation.

Biggs, who will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in the Nov. 3 general election, said he also has plans to improve public schools, including addressing campus infrastructure issues.

“You want to make sure that our traditionals are the best they can possibly be. And that means I’m going to be focused on the student, the parent and the teacher. I think that’s much more important than the teachers’ union,” he said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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