Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a major school voucher expansion bill that will extend eligibility to all 1.1 million state schoolchildren. The program will give Arizona one of broadest voucher programs in the nation.
The measure governing what’s technically known as “empowerment scholarship accounts,” was introduced earlier this year but stalled for nearly two months as opposition from a handful of GOP lawmakers and all Democrats left it short of votes.
To secure the needed votes, supporters of the original bill had to agree to some changes including a cap of about 30,000 vouchers by 2021 and that it remain in place until lawmakers decide otherwise.
While supporters said more school choice benefits Arizona kids, opponents like republican Representative Michelle Udall said lawmakers should fund public schools properly first.
"And until we are willing to pay teachers and to fund our schools the way that we need to, I don't believe that we should be pulling them off into other programs, particularly programs with such limited accountability," Udall said.
According to a legislative budget analysis, the original plan was estimated to cost the state general fund at least $24 million, but the revised plan adds up to a savings of $3.4 million by 2022.