Tested, successful Scottsdale model ignored by Gress
With much fanfare, on Sept. 13, state Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, choreographed a committee hearing at the Scottsdale Civic Library, which Gress characterized as an “Ongoing Fight Against Scottsdale’s Taxpayer Funded Homeless Hotel Plan.”
Consultant: data hard to find on ESA program
The first of several planned legislative hearings to study Arizona’s growing Empowerment Scholarship Account program ended Wednesday with many unanswered questions.
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.
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.
Hobbs cites new cost estimates for vouchers in attempt to convince lawmakers to scale back program
Gov. Katie Hobbs is citing new cost estimates for universal vouchers in her latest bid to convince lawmakers to scale back the new program.
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.
House refuses to require individual income tax rates to be cut during surplus
The state House refused Monday to require that individual income tax rates be cut automatically any time the state runs a surplus.
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.
City and state leaders can tackle affordable housing crisis together
In recent years, I’ve been quoted as saying, homelessness is not AN issue, it is THE issue. I encourage our legislators to partner with local community leaders to turn this around before it’s too late.
Anti-ESA governor is living endorsement of school choice
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is, in spite of herself, perhaps the greatest living billboard for education savings accounts (ESAs) in the nation.
ESA parents complain about mid-year changes
Two months in, Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) parents say the program is at risk of imploding.