It’s becoming abundantly clear that Arizona’s universal ESA voucher program is a failed $1 billion fiasco that comes at the expense of over 1 million Arizona kids. And political strategists of both parties are warning the politicians pushing these unregulated, budget-busting vouchers that they do so at their own peril.
Though Republican legislative leadership is attempting to rationalize away their spiraling boondoggle, GOP political insiders are deeply concerned about the impacts:
As Jones said, even supporters of universal vouchers need to ask: “What are we spending the money on, and is it going to actually educate children?’” The answer now is, we simply don’t know: the program was designed to be a black box. And as Coughlin added, vouchers will be a defining election issue in 2024, with moderate voters in swing districts extremely concerned by the dearth of data, accountability and oversight for their taxpayer dollars.
Christine Marsh, Arizona Teacher of the Year and Democratic lawmaker, wrote a fiery op-ed this week: “The illusion of school choice empowering parents through universal vouchers while saving the state money is the most expensive dishonesty peddled by the Republican legislative majority since the Alt-Fuels Fiasco.”
Marsh points out that, while 92% of Arizona families choose public schools, the funding for these schools is being dramatically depleted by universal ESA vouchers. She eloquently explains how this diversion of funds works: “Public schools run on a fixed cost system, meaning that even if only 10 students leave a school, the school won’t close. Yet the money stripped away by vouchers will force cuts of teachers, bus drivers, elective courses and sports teams — harming the rest of the student population.”
To better understand voucher funding and its impact on local public schools, check out our new video:
Your voice matters. A simple phone call or email to your lawmaker asking them to prioritize funding for schools and responsible policies for education goes a long way. In order for Arizona to move forward and thrive, these critical discussions need to take place. Find your legislative district here. Email and phone information for your representatives is here and your senator is here.
Statewide Rural Action Summits – Mark Your Calendars!
Sierra Vista – August 26 – Register here!
Yuma – November 4 – Mark “Going” HERE!
Celebration of Arizona’s Public Schools
Fundraiser at the Arizona Science Center
Saturday, September 23, 5:30pm
Get your tickets HERE!
Make sure you’re signed up for our important text alerts. We won’t text you often, only when it’s really important! Click on bit.ly/JOINSOS or text JOINSOS to (520) 779-4568.
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How is this year’s cost of ESA vouchers — $1 billion in taxpayer dollars — going to be spent this year? Because the Arizona Dept. of Education (ADE) skirts all transparency, it’s hard to have a comprehensive view. But reports show a cornucopia of irresponsible, non-educational purchases like water skiing lessons in Missouri and at-home rock walls.
Because Arizona public schools are funded 48th in the nation, teachers struggle to afford basic classroom supplies. Schools must jump through extensive hoops, including major PTO fundraising and grant applications, just to provide basic extracurriculars and field trips. At the same time, every single purchase a district school makes must follow the law and be transparent to taxpayers.
Conversely, the ESA voucher program has few restrictions on what parents can purchase and zero financial transparency for taxpayers who are footing the bill. To receive reimbursement for purchases from the state, ESA voucher users need only submit a receipt of a “curriculum” – which can be self-written or downloaded from the Internet – and voila, the purchase is approved.
Because the state law was written with hardly any restrictions as long as purchases can be justified as “educational,” the ADE is approving funding for unlimited summer camps, sports lessons, bounce memberships, gymnastics, martial arts, music lessons, horseback riding, aquarium visits, and even waterpark tickets – all purchases that public school families must pay for out of their own pocket.
Superintendent Horne and the ADE argue these purchases are justified using the “if you see it in a public school, you should be able to purchase it with a voucher” rule. But this is a logical fallacy. Public schools use taxpayer dollars efficiently, buying equipment and supplies that are used for years and shared among hundreds of students. For example, a thousand-dollar piano purchased for a high school choir class might be used by hundreds of kids a year for decades, benefiting thousands of students. However, buying a single piano for a single living room is a different ball game — and an incredibly inefficient use of taxpayer funds.
While the ADE rubber-stamps extras, such as home gyms, rock climbing walls, Apple pens, and trampolines for homeschool families, public school teachers must rely on endless Donors Choose campaigns, class supply lists, and Amazon wish lists to stock their classrooms with basic supplies like tissue paper and whiteboard markers.
In the hunger games of Arizona state budgeting, our tax dollars can’t support two separate school systems, and the bill for this extravagance is already coming due.
The struggles of Arizona’s public schools (caused by chronic lack of funding and subsequent lack of resources) has been well documented. But we love to see the incredible solutions Arizona school leaders are putting in place to ensure that Arizona students get what they need – despite the legislature’s failure to support them!
Check out this Arizona Republic story about 20 future Native educators on track to receive their degrees this coming school year through a program called PITAS, or Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Arizona Schools. It was developed by Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Native-Serving Educators in collaboration with NAU’s College of Education to address the widespread teacher shortage. According to the article, rural areas are struggling to fill all of their teaching positions. While about 4% of Arizona students in 2020 were Native, only 2% of teachers were, according to a state report on the teacher workforce. We applaud these efforts to develop a culturally reflective teacher workforce!
Hobbs’ Teacher Retention Task Force
Gov. Hobbs is prioritizing teacher support and educator retention in her first year of office. She’s created a robust Educator Retention Task Force to make recommendations to improve retention across the state. If you are a current or former Arizona educator who’s been in the classroom in the past 3 years, the Task Force wants to hear from you! Take this 10-minute survey today: https://links.asu.edu/AZeducator_voice
Feel free to share with friends and colleagues. The survey closes on August 31.
Check out some incredible pictures and stories from across the state that make us #PublicSchoolProud!
An apple for everyone! The Verde Tech High School Agricultural Science program took their first outing of the year to “The Farm” at Bent River. Students picked 15 boxes of apples that students and staff across Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District can enjoy.
The Eagles have landed! Students in Page were welcomed back to Lakeview Primary School for the first day of class.
Who’s hungry? Students and their families enjoyed a festive Back to School BBQ at Clarkdale-Jerome Elementary School where they got to meet teachers and staff.
Statewide Rural Action Summits – Mark Your Calendars!
Sierra Vista – August 26 – Register here!
Yuma – November 4 – Mark “Going” HERE!
Celebration of Arizona’s Public Schools
Fundraiser at the Arizona Science Center
Saturday, September 23, 5:30pm
Get your tickets HERE!
Make sure you’re signed up for our important text alerts. We won’t text you often, only when it’s really important! Click on bit.ly/JOINSOS or text JOINSOS to (520) 779-4568.
Don’t forget to join us on social media. Pick your favorite(s) and join us for fun, engaging content!! This is where we post important updates, key news articles, and informative graphics and videos you can’t get anywhere else.
AZ Loves Public Schools Car Magnets & Yard Signs!
Be the first to order HERE!
Note: Yard signs are currently available only in Maricopa, Pima, and Yavapai Counties where our field team can personally deliver. Check back for more counties soon!
Order AZ Loves Public Schools Tees, Tanks & Sweatshirts on AMAZON!
Be the first to order HERE!
Don’t forget your red #PublicSchoolProud shirt – order HERE. While we get ready to change suppliers, we’re offering 2 shirts for your donation of $30, or one for an $18 donation. Wear Public School Proud gear to show your dedication to well-funded public education in Arizona!
Sign up for a Community Action Team: East Valley, West Valley & North Phoenix, Scottsdale & Paradise Valley, Central & South Phoenix, Northern Arizona, and Southern Arizona! Your local coordinators will help you with using Request to Speak and contacting your lawmakers.
Request an SOSAZ Education Roadshow presentation HERE
Sign up to automatically receive the SOSAZ Legislative Weekly Report HERE
