The bill gives each public school eligible Arizona student a $6,500 voucher to spend on private education if parents opt the student out of public schools.
We recently reported that the Arizona House and Senate passed HB 2583, expanding Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, ESA, to ALL Arizona children.
Governor Ducey signed the bill into law on 7 July 2022.
The Arizona Department of Education is not yet accepting applications under the expanded eligibility criteria. The Department states that:
The ESA Program is currently working with the IT team to create a new application eligibility category of “Universal ESA”. We will advise parents as soon as this eligibility category is available,and we are hoping to have the application ready by early to mid-August.
Teachers unions and their political arms such as Red4Ed and Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS) have been railing against the bill, trying to lobby legislators into voting against it, see pictures below. This shows once again that teachers unions actively work against the interests of parents and students. This is one reason why it's so important to have advocates for parents and students on school boards, because unionized teachers already have tremendous representations via their incredibly powerful teachers unions.
Meanwhile it's important to never take your eye off the ball. In West Virginia for example, a judge, appointed by a former Democrat Governor, injuncted a school choice bill there. Teachers unions are part owner and master of the Democrat Party and so the Democrats are usually acting against school choice, charter schools, and any other forms of potential competition for the teachers union cartel. It's a safe bet to assume that something similar will be tried in Arizona. Arizona is part of the 9th circuit, a comparatively liberal federal court, which may well act to injunct the Arizona school choice bill. A Democrat Governor or Attorney General would most certainly not appeal an injunction from the 9th circuit so it remains important to elect good Republicans to state and local offices.
