Arizona is the poster state for the ALEC plan to replace public schools with vouchers and charter schools.
The Republican dominated Legislature first passed a plan to offer vouchers for students with disabilities (the camel’s nose in the tent); then expanded it for a variety of other groups: foster children, children living on reservations, children in schools rated D or F. At its last session, the Legislature passed a bill to remove any limits on vouchers, other than an artificial cap of 30,000, which can be removed at any time.
Parents and educators united to initiate a referendum on this vast expansion of vouchers. They needed to collect 75,000 signatures to call for a referendum in 2018. They collected 110,000. Lawyers for voucher supporters challenged many of the signatures, but the public school supporters ended up with 108,000 valid signatures. There will still be challenges and legal battles, but for now Arizona is heading for a referendum.
The next job for public school advocates is to demonstrate to the taxpayers in Arizona that the voucher program is a huge waste of their money and that students in voucher schools do not benefit. They must also remind them of the importance of public education as a public responsibility, since even the retirees are overwhelmingly graduates of public schools. They still have their work cut out for them, but they have cleared the first step.
And it should hearten them to know that the public has been asked in 19 different state referenda to approve vouchers for religious schools, and has rejected them every single time. (Three of the 19 referenda were in Betsy DeVos’s home state of Michigan, rejected overwhelmingly.)
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thank you for bringing attention to the voucher issue in Arizona. The grassroots effort has been amazing. All the national support you can bring to the issue is appreciated.
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YES.
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Yes! I found a place to sign the petition after reading about it here.
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Keep up the PR. Trump is planning a trip to Arizona, campaign rally this week, and he might just bring along DeVos to promote vouchers.
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This is an opportunity for the people to have a say. Supporters of public education to need campaign hard to get the vote out and the word out about valueless vouchers. If I lived in Arizona, I would go door to door and post the importance of voting on social media sites. You know the Koch propaganda machine will be actively campaigning for vouchers.
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I predict that a great deal of money will be spent on both sides, and a great percentage of the money will come in from out of state. This is as it should be.
According to an article in the Tucson newspaper:
Q
The Arizona Department of Education says it’s doubtful that cap will be met since the old one isn’t currently being met.
An additional 5,500 students will be able to sign up each year until it caps out at 30,000 by 2022. END Q
see:
http://tucson.com/news/local/education/things-you-need-to-know-about-arizona-s-school-voucher/article_a0cb40ee-fe63-5776-8bb8-7ff0f8984818.html
Q . In 2013 Arizona had 1,089,384 students enrolled in a total of 2,267 schools in 666 school districts. END Q see
https://ballotpedia.org/Public_education_in_Arizona
It seems like a lot of “ruckus”, over such a small number of potential voucher recipients.
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You miss the point. All these millions and only a tiny % of students want vouchers.
Indiana: 3%
Louisiana: 2-3 %
Arizona: 2-3%
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I believe that you are missing at least part of the point. True, the state will stop spending some millions in the publicly-run education systems of the states which have school choice, on the students who have opted-out.
This point is well-taken.
BUT- The various states will also have a reduction in student population (in their publicly-run systems). These students, which have opted-out of the publicly-run systems, will now be educated in alternative venues.
In Arizona, the ESA is equivalent to 90% of the per-pupil spending in the publicly-run system. The amount of spending per-pupil, in the public systems in Arizona will increase proportionately.
In most states, which have choice plans, the amount of spending, per student, on the students who remain in the publicly-operated schools, is either unchanged, or increased.
Be fair.
You are implying that the states, like Arizona, who have choice plans, will be losing all these millions, and still be required to educate the same number of students, that were in the systems, prior to school choice being implemented.
Be fair.
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Charles,
Your obsession with school choice is bizarre.
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You are very misinformed about the Arizona ESA program. First, While the initial payout is 90% of district school per student, there is then an approximate $1,000 per student to ‘compensate’ for these private enterprises to build and maintain their facilities – because the state pays for the district schools to do so – except they DON’T! There is another on-going lawsuit over the state’s unwillingness tor remit the law-mandated funds to district schools. The additional payment to charters means that they receive more per student than do district schools, and there is NOT extra funds available for district schools, as the state continues to cut funding, while claiming just the opposite! District schools in Arizona receive the lowest amount of state-funded education in the nation. This has caused a massive reduction in qualified teachers, in attracting, training, and retaining – so much so that the education law was recently changed to allow district schools to hire teachers with nothing more than knowledge/field experience and a Bachelor’s degree – something only charters had previously allowed(because there is very little accountability in the charter sector.) Good for the teachers who are finally standing up for themselves! One last thing – it has happened, on multiple occasions – that charter schools have closed – some had been major charters. One specifically last year – four days before the start of the school-year! This 900 or so students had to scramble to find a neighbor district school that had room for them – along with teachers, transportation, ed. resources, etc. I wonder where all that money went to, with no legal accountability? Charter schools – privately owned and operated have sucked the lifeblood from district schools in Arizona. Why? Because many charter groups are owned and invested in by State Legislators, their friends, family members and business associates – even the president of the Arizona School Board association. And, you cannot profit from district school finances – unless you are illegally contracting services to your friends – which is also being done in Arizona. There is only so much money to spend on lawsuits to protect our children and communities!
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“If you do nothing, you get nothing” – Aung San Suu Kyi. Nobel Prize winner, 20 years under house arrest.
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I am not obsessed with school choice. I feel that all sides of an issue should be examined.
“If you do nothing you get nothing”
Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel peace prize winner, 20 years under house arrest.
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Charles, you are both obsessed with choice and totally unaware.
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The fight is far from over – legislators and parent ESA support groups are attempting to have the entire lot of signatures thrown out by the courts, due to ‘technicalities’ in the signature processes.
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The process must be completed properly. Personally, I hope that the signatures are approved, and the issue makes it to the ballot.
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