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Empowerment Scholarship Account

Mar 6, 2020

Vouchers help Native American students climb ‘the ladder’

I am not saying that every family should use an ESA or that every child should be in a private school. What I am saying is that having no choice but to be in a public-school setting is no choice at all.

Virginia, Arizona, State Board for Community Colleges, Virginia Community College System, Pima Community College, Michigan, Tucson, Pepperdine University
May 31, 2019

State should do more to empower Native Americans with school choice

When eight Navajo families in Window Rock received a letter from the Arizona Department of Education last month, they were shocked by what was inside.

May 21, 2019

Bill allows 10 Navajo Nation students to use Arizona vouchers across state lines

The Arizona Department of Education and state legislators came to a compromise that would no longer punish students and parents on the Navajo reservation who use school vouchers to attend out-of-state schools.

May 21, 2019

Republicans brace for budget battle as Dems sit on sideline

An $11.8 billion spending plan was introduced in the Arizona Legislature late Tuesday afternoon, setting GOP leaders and Gov. Doug Ducey on a collision course with a handful of Republican senators who said they’ll vote no on the budget deal.

Feb 11, 2019

Bill strips Department of Education of voucher oversight

A Republican lawmaker wants the state to hire a private company to oversee and administer Arizona’s voucher program and wants State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, not the newly elected Democratic superintendent, to choose the vendor.

Save Our Schools Arizona spokeswoman Dawn Penich-Thacker addresses a crowd of volunteers and reporters after submitting more than 110,000 signatures to refer school voucher legislation to the 2018 ballot. The signatures were enough to put the legislation temporarily on hold on Aug. 8. (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times)
Oct 8, 2018

Yes or no, ballot measure tricky vote

It seems a bit out of Alice in Wonderland. But if you support the goals of those who put Proposition 305 on the ballot -- opposition to expansion of vouchers -- you have to vote "no'' in November.

Aug 30, 2018

No matter the vote, empowerment scholarships have helped many

In November, Arizona voters will decide whether expanding the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program makes sense. It was originally started to help the parents of disabled children, foster children, or parents who are active military. It evolved, with little controversy, to include adopted children, children attending D/F rated schools, and those in Native American communities. About 5,[...]

Beth Lewis, left, and Dawn Penich-Thacker of Save Our Schools Arizona suggest to a Republican-controlled committee on Thursday changes to descriptions that voters will see of a voucher expansion plan, a plan GOP lawmakers support but her organization wants voters to reject in November. (Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer)
Jun 28, 2018

Lawmakers quarrel over descriptions of ballot measures

Democrat lawmakers accused their Republican colleagues Thursday of hiding relevant information from voters about upcoming ballot measures.

Stacks of voters' signatures were delivered to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office on Aug. 8 after Save Our Schools Arizona collected more than 110,000 signatures in three months. If it survives legal challenges, the referendum will appear on the 2018 general election ballot as Proposition 305. (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times)
Aug 24, 2017

2nd suit filed to thwart voucher-expansion referendum

School-choice groups filed a second lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court on August 24 in an attempt to block an opposing referendum campaign by Save Our Schools Arizona.

Mar 20, 2017

Senator holding swing vote in voucher expansion leaning toward ‘no’

The state senator with the deciding vote on a bill that would give all Arizona students access to a program that allows public money to pay for private schooling wants “rock solid caps” on its enrollment.

school choice, education, Education Freedom Report Card, parents, Critical Race Theory, Florida, Ducey, Heritage Foundation, Goldwater Institute, DeSantis, Florida
Jul 21, 2014

State money spent on empowerment scholarships nearly doubles

There will be almost double the number of students from last year starting the new school year in a program that provides public money for private schools.

Apr 17, 2014

Republicans join with Dems to reject school choice bill

Eight Republicans helped to reject a bill Thursday that would have sharply expanded a program that uses public money to send students to private schools.

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