One BILLION dollars.
No accountability.
No safety standards.
This year, Arizona’s ESA voucher program is on track to spend more than $1,000,000,000 in your taxpayer dollars — with no accountability or transparency.
We can protect students and stop fraud by passing the Protect Education Act!
One BILLION dollars.
No accountability.
No safety standards.
This year Arizona’s ESA voucher program is on track to spend more than $1,000,000,000 in your taxpayer dollars — with no accountability or transparency.
We can protect students and stop fraud by passing the Protect Education Act!
Arizonans support reforming the ESA Voucher Program
Here are the reforms we need:
New Safety Measures to Protect Kids:
Protect Arizona students through mandatory background checks for school staff working with kids, and ensure all schools meet basic safety standards to keep kids safe. Schools that accept voucher funding would need to investigate misconduct claims, just like public schools do.
Bring Transparency to Spending of Public Funds:
Require transparency and reporting to prevent fraud and ensure proper use of public funds.
Reduce Wasteful ESA Voucher Spending:
Banning the use of ESA voucher funds on non-educational expenses, like diamond jewelry, big screen TVs, or luxury vacations.
Helping Arizona Families that Actually Need It:
Right now, the very wealthy are eligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers they don’t need. The maximum family income for Arizona’s ESA voucher program should be $150,000 or less, adjusted annually for inflation at the same rate as school funding, so we stop giving taxpayer money to millionaires.
Helping Students with Disabilities:
91 percent of Arizona’s students with disabilities attend their neighborhood public school, in part because many private schools that accept ESA vouchers refuse to accept them. We must ensure students with disabilities have the resources and support they need in their public school or through an ESA voucher.
Returns Millions Back to Public Schools:
Stop the stockpiling of taxpayer funds in private savings accounts by requiring all unused ESA voucher funds be returned, redirecting millions of dollars per year back to Arizona’s public schools, which currently rank 48th in the nation in per-student funding.
Raise the Bar for Academic Quality & Student Success:
Schools receiving taxpayer funds should be accountable for student outcomes and give parents the information they need to know that their kids are getting a good education. Our plan would require all voucher-funded schools to be accredited or administer a nationally-recognized assessment, ensuring students are following a curriculum that keeps them on pace with their peers.
Important note: Students with disabilities are exempt from the income cap and assessment provisions of this measure to ensure that those with complex and specialized needs continue to be served.
We can protect students and stop fraud by passing the Protect Education Act!
How Did We Get Here Again?
- When Arizona’s Legislature expanded ESA vouchers universally, they rushed to create a program with no accountability or protections from waste, fraud, and misuse.
- Your money has paid for diamond rings, lingerie, out-of-state vacations, and other luxury items — not education — while taking away learning opportunities from the more than 90 percent of students who attend our neighborhood public schools.
- These public dollars carry no safety requirements or oversight for the recipients — putting kids at risk.
This is about transparency, accountability, and student safety.
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