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Open enrollment closed to students with disabilities
Students with disabilities who try to enroll in a school outside their district through the state’s open enrollment program are often met with denials based on a lack of capacity in special education programs.
Mothers of biological girls won’t be able to join legal fight tied to transgender girls playing school sports
The mothers of some biological girls will not be able to join the legal fight against the efforts to allow two transgender girls to participate in school sports.
Latest ESA data strengthens my support for ESAs
ESA opponents can’t get enough of sharing ABC 15’s recent “investigative” report. I couldn’t understand what they were so excited about because the report actually pointed out the program’s success.
State spending more money for vouchers for students this budget year than was reserved through June
Less than four months into the budget year, Arizona already is spending more money for vouchers for students to attend private and parochial schools at state expense than was set aside through June.
ESA program added almost 50,000 students in the past year, state reports
The state added nearly 12,000 students to the Empowerment Scholarship Account program in the last quarter, bringing total enrollment to 61,689 at the end of June and renewing debates about the costs and benefits of the program.
Fact-checking Save Our Schools on vouchers
Save Our Schools Arizona is among the most prominent opponents of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or vouchers. However, certain of their talking points are inconsistent with facts from reputable sources.
Alternative micro-school fails to meet zoning laws
Tia Howard wanted to start her own micro-school. So, she contracted with a curriculum provider, found a piece of rural residential land, signed a contract and made a $5,000 deposit. But Howard soon found Pinal County’s zoning code does not account for micro-schools. And per an interpretation from the county, a micro-school would be barred from rural residential land as it does not fall under the[...]
Wadsack, Hobbs disagree over meeting tied to vouchers
A member of the legislative Freedom Caucus is boasting that she's getting a meeting with Gov. Katie Hobbs, a meeting she said will let her explain to the governor the virtues of making vouchers of taxpayer dollars available to all parents so their children can attend private and parochial schools.
Attempts to curtail universal ESA program fail
In the first legislative session following the universal expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, attempts to curtail or enact further oversight for the program fell flat.
Mayes warns parents removing children from public schools for voucher program could victimize them
The state's top prosecutor is warning parents that pulling their children out of public schools to take advantage of the new universal voucher program could make them the victims of bias, with no legal recourse.
Lying about universal ESA vouchers won’t hide the truth
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This political propaganda technique is the playbook for special interests pushing school vouchers in Arizona. But the “big lie” only works as long as its consequences remain hidden — and when it comes to vouchers, Arizona has entered the “lie big and find out” phase.
Hobbs pledges new effort to get lawmakers to curb vouchers’ growth
Gov. Katie Hobbs promised a new effort Thursday to get state lawmakers to curb the growth of universal vouchers.
