By Kiera Riley | Yellow Sheet
An artificial intelligence arms race is unfolding between the state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction over Arizona’s $1 billion Empowerment Scholarship Account program.
Treasurer Kimberly Yee is challenging Superintendent Tom Horne for the state’s top education post this November, and both candidates have prioritized improving the ESA financial platform that parents use to make school purchases to address misspending and inconsistent auditing.
Their method of choice? AI.
Both candidates have a stake in the game. The State Treasurer’s Office oversees the contract with the financial vendor chosen to house ESA accounts while the Department of Education administers the program.
Yee has already issued a request for information to assess the tech capabilities of the small universe of school choice financial platform vendors.
