Just the News is reporting today that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has signed a bill allowing school choice for all Arizona school children.
The article reports:
In signing House Bill 2853 into law, all Arizona’s school-age children will be eligible for the Empowerment Scholarship Account. It’s a state-funded account that allows parents to spend money on tuition and other education expenses. Previously, the program was limited to disabled students, those in failing schools, and other specific circumstances.
…The program will now be available to more than 1.1 million students across the state. The average ESA spends $6,400, legislative analysts have previously estimated.
The bill also gives the Arizona Department of Education $2.2 million and allows for the hiring of 26 new workers to aid in administering the expanded program. The report also found that school choice programs nationwide saved taxpayers an average of $7,500 per student that participated.
House Majority Leader Ben Toma, R-Peoria, said education dollars shouldn’t be tied to one building.
“It was my privilege to sponsor the most expansive school choice law in the nation, opening Empowerment Scholarship Account eligibility to all school-age children without restriction,” Toma said. “In Arizona, we fund students, not systems, because we know one size does not fit all students.”
Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches said the program will benefit children with varying educational needs.
Obviously there is some pushback from those who like the indoctrination centers our public schools have become.
The article reports:
Save Our Schools Arizona announced on Wednesday that it would lead a push to get a veto initiative on the 2024 ballot that would scale back the program if successful.
“Stopping the privatization of Arizona’s public schools has been our mission for 5 years. Now, lawmakers have defied the will of AZ voters by attempting once more to pass universal ESA vouchers & dismantle public education – but we won’t let them win,” the organization said.
The nonprofit and others argue that school choice saps funding from public schools that receive tax dollars based on attendance.
If public schools were doing their job of successfully educating our children, there would be no flight from public schools. I believe that the flight from public schools is the result of parents seeing what their children were being taught during the Covid lockdowns. Because of what they saw being taught in the classroom, parents are looking for other educational options. Arizona is providing one.