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Save our schools Arizona

Oct 23, 2024

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 […]

Jul 2, 2024

ESA program gets a few tweaks, but no overhaul

Change to the Empowerment Scholarship Account program remained a game of inches this session. 

school ratings, grades, public schools
Nov 8, 2023

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, Empowerment Scholarship Account, Arizona Department of Education, Save Our Schools Arizona, Horne, Beth Lewis
Sep 7, 2023

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.

ESAs, vouchers, public schools, Save Our Schools Arizona,
Sep 1, 2023

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. 

ESAs, Arizona Department of Education, tuition, public schools, private schools, parents, Hobbs, Lewis, Ladner
Aug 25, 2023

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.

teachers, teacher pay, tiny houses, Horne, Chino Valley Unified School District, Arizona
Jul 31, 2023

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.

ESAs, vouchers, public schools, Save Our Schools Arizona,
Jul 21, 2023

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. 

ESA, Horne, vendor, ClassWallet, debit cards
Jun 1, 2023

ESA vouchers projected to cost $900M next year

The Empowerment Scholarship Account program is on track to cost the state $900 million by the end of the next fiscal year, according to the most recent estimate by the Arizona Department of Education.

microschools, homeschooling, online learning, ESAs
May 26, 2023

ESA expansion sparks wave of microschools

The universal expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, and the public policy push toward school choice in Arizona have ushered in a wave of microschools, an education approach situated somewhere between homeschooling and online learning.

teacher pay, AEL, Cook, Shah, Marsh, Gutierrez
Mar 24, 2023

AEL faces uncertain future over legitimacy, longevity

The Legislature overrode the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL) again this session, leading some to question its legitimacy and staying power. 

vouchers, private schools, parochial schools, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, Arizona Department of Education, Save Our Schools Arizona, ESAs, tuition, public schools, K-12 education, Ducey, Lewis
Dec 5, 2022

Not quite universal, but families flocked to universal voucher program

Arizona parents have flocked to apply for the state’s new universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, which let any family apply for state funds to pay for their child’s schooling, regardless of need.

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