Parents and teachers in Arizona gathered over 100,000 signatures to force a referendum on the unlimited expansion of vouchers. The Koch brothers and the DeVos family are pushing for vouchers, and they sent in their top legal team to try to stop the referendum. They are terrified of democracy.
They fought the referendum in court and they lost. The parents and teachers won. The referendum was going forward.
Now they have a new trick up their sleeve. The masters of dark money will get the legislature to repeal the original bill and re-enact it, so as to block the referendum. The SOS Arizona team will have to start all over, by gathering signatures for a new referendum and hiring lawyers to defend the referendum.
The Koch brothers and the DeVos family are hereby added to the blog’s Wall of Shame. They hate public schools and they hate democracy.
Please send a contribution to SOS Arizona to help them continue the fight for public schools!
This came in today from SOS Arizona:
Just when we thought we were safe…They’re at it again. Within 2 weeks of the Arizona Supreme Court’s dismissal of the dark-money lawsuit brought against SOSAZ, the Legislature is preparing to repeal Prop 305 entirely or replace it with another ESA expansion bill. 
From the moment we turned in 111,540 signatures last summer, voucher supporters have been scheming to “bait and switch.” Especially since polls have indicated that Prop 305 will likely be defeated if voters have their say. Voters know that vouchers hurt our schools, our kids, and our state.
Bottom line–the state with the WORST funding for schools should be the LAST state to divert public funds to private schools.
How can you help ensure that Prop 305 will get to the ballot so we can defeat the voucher expansion once and for all?
- Call Governor Ducey’s office at 602-542-4331 and say you oppose any voucher expansion replacement bill;
- Contact your representatives and senator now to let them know any replacement bill is unacceptable. Hint: here is how they voted on the original voucher expansion bill last year.
- Sign the SOSAZ Pledge to Vote No on Prop 305, and ask 10 of your friends to do the same;
- Talk to 10 friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. Our passionate volunteers are our biggest allies. Help us get the word out!
Our work to protect our volunteers’ hard work and signatures does not come cheap. Please help us meet our bills with a one-time or recurring donation today.
Thank you for all you do!
Beth Lewis
Chair, Save Our Schools Arizona PAC
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I too, am terrified of direct democracy. A pure democracy, would give 51% of the people, the right to kill the other 49%. That is why we have a representative, constitutional republic, where rights of minorities are protected. There is no provision for referendum in the federal constitution, and for good reason.
There is a compromise. Permit every family in Arizona, to choose the school plan that is best for their children. If public schools are so fantastic, and non-public schools are terrible, why not trust families to seek out the best? That is real democracy.
That way, families will register their approval for public schools, by sending their children to them. Families will show their opposition to school choice, by refusing to accept the ESA.
85% of children in AZ choose public schools. They are underfunded because on Republican Legislature and Governor, who don’t want to pay for them.
Isn’t it more fair to state that 85% of Arizona children “attend” public schools? Not all of them are attending by choice. When a family does not have the financial means to provide for the costs of a non-public school education, the family is thus compelled to send the child to the public school. Some, not all, Arizona families, would prefer to have the ability to select an alternate school for their children. Arizona has a large Hispanic population, and many Hispanics are Roman Catholics. It follows, that some (not all) Hispanic families would like to have the option of sending their children to Roman Catholic schools.
The public spending for education in Arizona, is set by the legislature, elected by the people. This is the democracy which you (and I), both claim to support. The result of the “underfunding” is the product of democracy. see
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona-education/2017/11/30/study-arizona-students-get-less-state-money-now-than-2008/903541001/
Charles, I call BS. No state has ever had a vote in which 51% voted to kill 49%. Save your BS.
I was just using a hypothetical example (that I borrowed from Milton Friedman) to make a point. Of course, no such referendum has ever taken place, and none ever will.
But the point is made, notwithstanding. Referenda trample over minority rights, and have the potential to be dangerous. As I said previously: There would be no civil rights for blacks, no rights for LGBT, No women’s rights, no rights for the handicapped, if we depended on majority rule and referenda.
Some states (Indiana and Wyoming, for example) contain no provisions for legislation by referendum. Our federal government does not either, the framers feared the whims of the mob, and the potential for majority rule.
You don’t like democracy. Neither do the Koch brothers. They buy votes. Same with DeVos.
I am justifiably afraid of direct democracy and mob rule. As you know, I have lived under communism, and Islamism. I prefer our constitutional republic, with protection of the rights of minorities.
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others” -Winston Churchill