Under state law, 4 percent of the money from your child’s ESA is set aside in an account specifically dedicated to the administration of the ESA program. Live chat: Contact Us. Without additional funding to add experienced staff, this situation will only continue to worsen. One outcome of the taskforce was an agreement to transition to a new banking vendor that will streamline and simplify the current processes. If you join me in this concern, I urge you to reach out to your respective legislators and let them know. Login Knowledgeable People. Can't find your service provider? Related Topics. However, there is nearly $3.3 million sitting in the account that is dedicated to administering the ESA program, money that ADE cannot use unless it is appropriated by the legislature. Sign in using your registered account: Forgot Password Support. We have made significant advances to better serve you and your family, including: Hiring an experienced director to lead the program and the ESA Department, Creating a new comprehensive ESA Parent Handbook that provides guidance, clarity, and stability regarding ESA requirements, Establishing a parent/school advisory committee that meets monthly to provide the ESA team with feedback and suggestions, Establishing an on-line application process, including the ability to check the status of your ESA application on our website. Arizona ESA Quick Start Guide. What’s in your classroom? In the meantime, we will continue to do our absolute best to serve you and your child with the resources that we have available to us. Here are some quick links to help you get started using ClassWallet: Access ClassWallet via the ESA Portal Access Multiple Accounts (children) When will I see my ESA funds in my ClassWallet account? ClassWallet Bookkeeping and Technology Survey Results. Our transition to Class Wallet represents our commitment to better serve the growing number of families who utilize the ESA program. In the meantime, please continue to utilize the current BofA system until the details of the transition have been communicated to you. The first step is to complete the Pre-Registration Form Already … Continue reading "Arizona ESA" ClassWallet is being used to help provide oversight of how parents spend money in their ESA accounts in real time, and could reduce the administrative burden of auditing ESA expenses. Our dedicated ESA staff are doing their absolute best to serve you. This year, the appropriation was only 1.6 percent for a total of $1.2 million dollars. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the lives of so many, including our own ESA families, ESA staff, and our communities. Close to 6,500 students now use the program, a 52 percent increase over the past three years. I wanted to write to you directly to provide you and your family with information and updates regarding the ESA program. Scholarship 0; Contact Support. The ESA program is not affiliated with any services, providers, vendors or websites, please ensure you are referring to our website and documents for program direction. The specifics of this transition are still being finalized, when information becomes available we will communicate it directly to you. I hope you will join me in that effort. Working collaboratively with Treasurer Kimberly Yee’s office, we developed and executed a Request for Proposal process to solicit vendors. Additionally, I assembled an ESA taskforce made up of stakeholders and ESA parents. Question. Fully funding the ESA program would allow ADE to hire the proper number of staff to provide robust customer service, process new applications and contract renewals in a timelier manner, as well as review and audit expenditures at regular intervals to provide assurances to parents and accountability to taxpayers. ClassWallet’s Efma Fintech Friday Interview, The Card Networks and Open Banking; Crypto Platform Joins Mastercard Network, The Education Report: ClassWallet to Distribute “Strong Families, Strong Students” Initiative Funds In Idaho to Low Income Families, ClassWallet Powers Oklahoma Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, PaymentsSource: Coronavirus, Data Security Changing How Teachers Handle Classroom Expenses, ClassWallet as a Solution to Most, if Not All, Misspending, The Challenges of Managing School Maintenance Funds, Trends from the National 2020 Classroom Supply Budget Survey. AZ-QSG. Arizona ESA Vendor Sign Up Thanks for reaching out to ClassWallet. Under the previous system, which used debit cards through Bank of America, there was a higher risk for fraud and misspending whether families meant to or not. ClassWallet saves 15 minutes of bookkeeping time per transaction. Arizona ESA Quick Start Guide; Ways to use ESA Funds; When will I see my ESA funds in ClassWallet account? Article Details. The European Space Agency portal features the latest news in space exploration, human spaceflight, launchers, telecommunications, navigation, monitoring and space science. You can also watch a 3-minute overview video or contact ClassWallet at 1-877-969-5536. Are you a school or service provider (tutor, therapist, etc)? That’s what we focus on so you can focus on more important things. URL Name. Currently, these dollars provide for the 13 ESA staff members and related expenses to run the program. ClassWallet is being used to help provide oversight of how parents spend money in their ESA accounts in real time, and could reduce the administrative burden of auditing ESA expenses. An analysis of classroom supply fund spending. I will also continue to strongly advocate to our legislature for the appropriation of the full funding for ESA administration. was awarded the contract and will be the new vendor replacing the Bank of America (BofA) prepaid debit card system. only the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) will have access to student level data. Class Wallet has experience in providing financial and purchase services to ESA programs in other states. Unfortunately, the funding to administer the program has not kept pace, increasing by only 33.5 percent. What do I need to know to get started with ClassWallet? Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. In February, I testified in front of the Senate Education Committee, asking state lawmakers to appropriate this funding to ensure the Department of Education can properly serve families and address the growing demands of this program. Reconciling teacher receipts, club expenditures and reimbursements consume a lot of time and resources. Invalid topic ID. Rest assured, as with the current system. (Please note, this video represents a broad overview and is not indicative of the services that will be available through ClassWallet for Arizona's ESA program.) We are pleased to be servicing the Arizona ESA program this year and look forward to best serving the children, parents, AZDE and you. If ADE were given the spending authority by the legislature to use the full 4 percent of administrative funding, I would immediately authorize the hiring of up to 15 additional staff members that would be dedicated solely to serving the ESA program. Close to 6,500 students now use the program, a 52 percent increase over the past three years. I deeply respect your family’s decision to utilize the ESA program to seek alternative education services that best meet your child’s needs. Our transition to Class Wallet represents our commitment to better serve the growing number of families who utilize the ESA program. Unfortunately, the funding to administer the program has not kept pace, increasing by only 33.5 percent. I am dedicated to managing the ESA program in a manner that serves parents, is transparent, and is within the bounds of the current laws that govern the program. The legislature has never given ADE approval to spend that full amount. Our ESA team will work diligently with Class Wallet to make this transition as smooth as possible. More in-depth information regarding ClassWallet will be shared in the near future. However, the inability to hire additional staff to handle the growth of the program has hampered our ability to provide timely service to you. Answer. This new platform will be phased-in over the next several months.