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.

Morning Scoop – School Choice **SOLD OUT** September 19, 2017 Registration: 7 – 7:30 a.m. Panel Discussion: 7:30 a.m. Adjourn: 8:30 a.m. Alexi’s Grill, 3550 N. Central Ave • • • • • • • • • • • • • ...

When Arizona students return to school in August, a new law could make the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts available to all 1.1 million of them. Unless a grassroots group of opponents has its way.

A school choice group once chaired by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is running advertisements thanking Arizona’s governor and legislature for expanding school vouchers here.

How on earth do the Republicans in the state Legislature who voted for the Empowerment Scholarship Account (voucher) bill, or our governor, who signed it, look in the mirror and in good faith, not understand what they have just done.

I ran for office to make a difference. I know with all my heart that the ESA program is helping students because I heard it from one student after the other with my own ears. As I heard these stories from students from all over the state, I knew that all students in Arizona deserve to have a choice.

It is time for Arizonans to take a hard look at who really benefits from school choice. While some families may want tax-payer funded options, the dizzying array of choices, combined with lax oversight and weak laws, make Arizona’s taxpayers easy marks for profiteering on the taxpayers’ dime.

I am a father of five wonderful adopted children. Like every parent, I want the best for each one. We are so fortunate to have the empowerment scholarship accounts, allowing us to send the kids to a private school where they get the extra attention they need to overcome challenges and thrive.

The 4-3 vote by the Senate Education Committee followed hours of testimony from individuals who already get what lawmakers call “empowerment scholarship accounts” detailing how they have helped their children. Eligible groups range from children with special needs to those on reservations and those who attend schools rated D or F.

Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday defended state laws that let parents use public funds to send children to private and parochial schools.