A grassroots coalition of Arizona parents and educators filed the final text of a school voucher reform initiative with the secretary of state this week.
That was the final step before volunteers can start collecting signatures in order to send the issue to voters.
They need 255,000 signatures by July 2 to get the “Protect Education Act” on the ballot.
Nicky Indicavitch with Save Our Schools Arizona said the initiative would add safety requirements for voucher-funded schools, like the background checks and fingerprint cards that are required at public schools.
“I'd like to see student safety taken seriously in the voucher program the way that our public schools do by requiring that basic background check on an adult that's going to be around a young person, especially when it's taxpayer funded," Indicavitch said.
The initiative also adds an income cap for the program and bans the use of voucher funds for non-educational or luxury items.
"It's going to give taxpayers in Arizona some peace of mind that the dollars we send to educate young people in the state of Arizona don't get spent on things that are wildly inappropriate," Indicavitch said. "You know we've all seen the reports recently about diamond rings, gift cards, expensive trips, [and] lingerie."
They plan to start collecting signatures as soon as possible.
"We are very anxious just to get our hands on petition sheets," Indicavitch said. "The second that those come off the printer we will be getting those launched out to communities across the state."
-
When the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind closed its Tucson campus in June, music teacher Kate Scally Howell was worried — and not just because the closure put her out of a job. -
Schools across Arizona are starting back up for the year. Some start this week, while others have already been in class for a few days already. And despite the relative cooldown to start this week, it’s still plenty hot out. -
Our next guests this morning are out with a new investigation that gets at the heart of that question. Evan Wyloge and Katie Wilcox are with The Beam at Arizona State University’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. -
Arizona State University is partnering with local school districts on a new fruit and vegetable study. They want to figure out how schools can work with grocery stores to encourage kids and families to eat more of those foods. -
The Arizona Healthy Schools Act recently took effect as the new school year got underway. Several districts said they started planning for the change last year.
