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House education committee grills apologetic Hoffman over voucher blunder
Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman faced tough questions from Republicans on the House Education Committee Monday over her department’s mishandling of private Empowerment Scholarship Account data that was improperly redacted and given to the press and an advocacy group opposed to voucher expansion.
Parents in voucher program hold onto funds, amass large sums
Dozens of families in the state’s school voucher program are sitting on account balances of $50,000 or more, with nine of them accumulating more than $100,000 of taxpayer money over several years, according to public records.
Goldwater Institute sues Arizona Department of Education over vouchers
The Goldwater Institute today sued the Arizona Department of Education, alleging it mishandled the state’s school voucher program in a way that breaks state law.
Ducey won’t commit to more funds for school voucher program
Gov. Doug Ducey won't commit to providing the funds that schools chief Kathy Hoffman says she needs to properly administer the state's voucher program.
2019: Moments of bipartisanship mixed with rough politics
The highs and lows of the 2019 legislative session can be measured by how well legislators worked together with the smallest of margins.
Democrat with little political experience becomes most effective in 2019
But even with the 17-13 split in the Senate, the 31-29 split in the House, the Democrat who accomplished the most during the First Regular Session of the 54th Legislature is the one who was criticized for her lack of political experience during the campaign – and she wasn’t even a lawmaker.
Bill allows 10 Navajo Nation students to use Arizona vouchers across state lines
The Arizona Department of Education and state legislators came to a compromise that would no longer punish students and parents on the Navajo reservation who use school vouchers to attend out-of-state schools.
Republicans brace for budget battle as Dems sit on sideline
An $11.8 billion spending plan was introduced in the Arizona Legislature late Tuesday afternoon, setting GOP leaders and Gov. Doug Ducey on a collision course with a handful of Republican senators who said they’ll vote no on the budget deal.
SOS AZ wants real reforms of vouchers, not extinction
Remarkably, I learned at last week’s Senate Finance Committee hearing that there are some people who still don’t know Save Our Schools Arizona’s stance on the Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher program. As an educator, I’m accustomed to repeating myself over and over again day after day for years on end, so I’m more than happy to apply that skill here.
Republicans vote to expand voucher program, revamp oversight
Republican senators advanced a bill that would expand eligibility for Arizona’s school voucher program and strip oversight of those vouchers from the newly elected Democratic head of the Department of Education.
Bill strips Department of Education of voucher oversight
A Republican lawmaker wants the state to hire a private company to oversee and administer Arizona’s voucher program and wants State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, not the newly elected Democratic superintendent, to choose the vendor.
High voter turnout makes direct democracy more difficult
That record number of Arizonans who turned out to vote this year has a dark side for direct democracy: It's going to be harder for voters to propose their own laws or get rid of ones they don't like.
