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Future of ESA program in hands of voters after negotiation breakdowns
Key Points Negotiations on Empowerment Scholarship Account collapsed Competing measures headed to voters Ballot measures face legal, language and campaign battles in runup to election Legislators twice tried to iron […]
Is an ESA special session imminent?
Key Points: Special session could resolve ESA ballot measure standoff before November Proposed compromise swaps reforms for withdrawal of ballot measures Lawsuit aims to shield ESA reform measure from referral […]
Fortify AZ bows out: School voucher ballot battlefield narrows to one
Key Points: Fortify AZ drops its own voucher plan from the November ballot Arizona Education Association’s stricter limits plan remains on the ballot Arizona lawmakers approved a “poison pill” ballot […]
The Protect Education Act harms Arizona’s disabled students and school choice
Editor’s note: This article is a direct response to: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/06/09/arizona-esa-moms-demand-voucher-reforms-to-protect-education-for-students-with-disabilities/ A recent opinion article urging Arizonans to support the Protect Education Act was written by two self-described “ESA moms,” Dr. […]
Initiative aims to rein in Arizona’s $1 billion school voucher program
Key Points: Two education groups propose restraints on school vouchers in Arizona The initiative would bar families making over $150,000 from receiving vouchers Backers need over 255,000 valid signatures by […]
Justice faces ethics complaint over pledge to ‘fight for conservative principles’
A complaint submitted to the state’s judicial conduct commission alleges Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick violated judicial ethics for vowing to continue “fighting for conservative principles” at a Republican […]
ESA program gets a few tweaks, but no overhaul
Change to the Empowerment Scholarship Account program remained a game of inches this session.
Number of failing schools fell; alternative schools headed the other way
The number of schools getting an F on the state’s annual report card has fallen sharply, going from 49 in 2019 to 24 this year, but the number of failing alternative schools rose over the same period.
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.
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.
With pay lagging, school districts try other enticements to get teachers
Chino Valley is trying tiny houses as an inducement for teachers. The district is not alone. From tiny houses to alternative teacher certification programs to hiring teachers from overseas, school districts around Arizona are scrambling for ways to attract teachers to a state that offers some of the lowest salaries in the nation.
