Republicans Threaten Voucher Poison Pill in Prop 123
|
|
|
❌ No New Vouchers: Negotiations on a renewal of Prop 123, which draws from the state land trust to fund $350 million for public schools each year, have been stalled for months, having broken down over Republican refusal to include critical needs such as support staff, general school funding, school capital and safety improvements. We've been hearing all session that Republicans are desperate to shoehorn the poison pill of vouchers into a renewal of Prop 123. |
| |
|
As Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts wrote of the proposal, “Tell me ESA [vouchers] aren’t popular with voters without telling me that ESA [vouchers] aren’t popular with voters… |
Their plan, as outlined by the Arizona Education Agenda and Axios: To ask voters to extend Proposition 123 to fund teacher pay raises but also to add in constitutional protections for school choice. Namely, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. Oh, the measure will be marketed as a plan to also protect open enrollment, charter schools, homeschooling and tuition tax credits to pay for private school scholarships.
But since none of those things are controversial, I’m guessing this is really about cementing the state’s universal school voucher program into the state constitution. Making it virtually impossible to rein in the runaway program or add restrictions to ensure we aren’t funding such academic imperatives as kayaks and ski passes and espresso machines.
Lest you think Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs would simply veto the scheme, think again.The Republican-run Legislature would be sending this straight to the 2026 ballot, bypassing the need for any bipartisan buy-in…” |
|
|
Let the Voters Decide: Cementing universal ESA vouchers into the Arizona Constitution without any financial or academic accountability or guardrails is their plan — and it’s a deeply irresponsible one. Forcing protection for universal voucher giveaways into a Prop 123 renewal would severely limit the state's ability to respond to Arizona kids' future educational needs, or to even place the most basic guardrails on a program that already drains nearly $1 billion from state coffers every year.
Republican lawmakers should stop the political games and put the measures on the ballot separately. Let Arizona voters decide whether they want to renew Prop 123 without tying these classroom funds to deeply unpopular, budget-busting vouchers.
⚖️ Likely unconstitutional. It's also unclear how Republican lawmakers would ensure that their idea is legal (and we likely won’t see bill language until minutes before Floor on Tuesday). Article 21, Section 1 of the Arizona Constitution, known as the "separate amendment" provision, states, “If more than one proposed amendment shall be submitted at any election, such proposed amendments shall be submitted in such manner that the electors may vote for or against such proposed amendments separately.” This means the Constitution cannot be amended with a single measure that funds schools from the state land trust and also enshrines vouchers, as those are two separate issues.
That rule exists precisely to prevent lawmakers from forcing unpopular measures through by bundling them with broadly supported ones. That’s exactly what Republicans are doing — tying the reauthorization of Prop 123 (something most Arizonans think is a good idea) to creating some kind of new constitutional right to ESA vouchers (something most Arizonans vigorously oppose). SOSAZ will be taking a close look at the bill with our lawyer when it drops. If it’s anything like what’s being reported, our message to the Legislature is this: We’ll see you in court.
🗳️ Poison pill for voters. As SOSAZ's Comms Manager Tyler Kowch told the Agenda, trying to shoehorn unpopular vouchers into Prop 123 is a "frankly ridiculous" scheme that will likely spell ballot-box doom. In 2016, Prop 123 passed by less than 51%, and that was with full bipartisan support and backing from the business and education communities. There is no reason to think this measure will pass with the addition of a voucher poison pill.
🙄 Living in the Upside Down. Incredibly, Republicans now say they think they'll be able to get this measure across the finish line with support from those who take advantage of universal voucher giveaways. This ignores the reality not just that Arizona voters said no to vouchers by 2-to-1 margins at the ballot in 2018, but also that every time vouchers go before voters anywhere in the nation, they fail. Ultimately, this stubborn insistence on putting voucher giveaways for the rich ahead of Arizona's 1 million public school students jeopardizes desperately needed dollars for classrooms and teacher pay.
Republican lawmakers need a reminder that, when Arizonans said no to vouchers, we meant it! Contact YOUR state senator and representatives now to demand they support only a clean renewal of Prop 123, one that contains no poison pills or voucher gimmicks. Join SOSAZ, the Arizona Education Association, K-12 stakeholder groups, and state lawmakers for a press conference on Monday, May 5 at 12 PM in the Rose Garden at the Capitol. Mark “GOING” here! |
|
|
🏫🎒🧑🏫 All the school news you need to know from this week in one quick read:
😞 Gutted Dept. of Ed Struggles to Serve Kids: ProPublica reported this week that, since the Trump administration closed civil rights offices and fired workers at the Dept. of Ed, investigating discrimination in schools is practically “impossible” and “families’ pleas for updates and action have gone unheard.” The Office of Civil Rights has abandoned its priorities (which include investigating discrimination complaints from students and families), and instead is focusing on trying to limit the rights of transgender students and to rid schools of diversity efforts.
💪 Districts Telling Horne & Trump “NO”: Supt. Horne’s ADE has created a snitch list of school districts that have and have not complied with Trump’s new federal guidance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. This comes after federal judges ruled against the Trump administration’s orders to cut funding from schools with those programs (which Horne readily went along with). ADE said the site is informational pending the outcome of the court challenges to the guidance, and the U.S. Dept. of Education has informed state education agencies that it “will take no further action concerning the Title VI Certification Letter (DEI) unless and until further notice is provided.”
|
Dysart Unified Forced to Cut Transportation: Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Dysart Unified School District in the West Valley will limit transportation services to students who live over 1.5 miles from their school for K-8 students, and over 2 miles for high school students. The change will affect over 500 students. The district cited their failed bond measure in 2024 as a primary driver of the change — the district has not passed a bond since 2006. The lack of local funding, paired with continued underfunding from the state, has led to an aging fleet of buses the district is unable to replace.
|
|
|
Tell your lawmakers and Gov. Hobbs that unaccountable vouchers for the rich must be reined in in this year’s budget! Our students deserve quality resources, safe buildings, and rich academic experiences that will prepare them for a strong future. Our educators deserve pay raises and quality working conditions that benefit all teachers, staff and students.
NOW is the time to demand true voucher reform and fund our public schools. Our easy-to-use, one-click email tool is preloaded with a message, but we encourage you to customize your email for maximum impact. |
| |
|
What's Happening at the AZ Leg? |
|
|
😖 DDD Program in Danger as of July 1: Despite the compromise lawmakers reached to fund the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) through June 30, Gov. Hobbs is warning that the deal still leaves a fight ahead to continue the dollars after June 30. Budget discussions have yet to start for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1, and economists say revenues will be even lower than anticipated. Hobbs says she's "going to fight for a budget that protects" DDD — and asked whether she thought Republicans would cut the program, DDD parent advocate Brandi Coon said bluntly, "I don't think they dare." Even so, Republican lawmakers have made it clear that their priorities lie with universal ESA vouchers, which largely benefit the wealthy and are on track to cost the state $1 billion per year… and with the state General Fund starved thanks to Ducey-era tax cuts, Republicans will be looking for the money to pay for vouchers.
⚾ Update on Billionaire Giveaway Bill: New reporting from Fourth State 48 draws on public records (such as engineering assessments, team cost breakdowns, and communications about the stadium’s physical condition and financial status) to illustrate what Arizonans stand to lose with passage of billionaire tax giveaway bill HB2704. As the article points out, taxes on tickets and merch purchases at Chase Field help fund Arizona's public schools, but billionaire Ken Kendrick wants to grab that money and divert it into renovations, using public money to boost private profit. The article also calls a foul ball on Kendrick's empty threat to pull the Diamondbacks from Phoenix if he doesn't get his way, quoting a watchdog who points out, “It’s not like they can pick up and move to another metro area the size of Phoenix, because there aren’t any that don’t already have baseball teams.” The article concludes, "Arizona taxpayers have heard this pitch before, and time and again, economic promises fall flat while the public shoulders the cost. This bill isn’t just about keeping a baseball team downtown. It’s about whether Arizona continues to fund essential services — or subsidizes one of the state’s wealthiest businessmen, his development ambitions, and a growing list of politically connected allies."
👑 Keeping up with the “Veto Queen”: As the Legislature picks up the pace on sending harmful legislation to Gov. Hobbs' desk (nearly always along party lines), the number of vetoes is rising too. This past week, the governor vetoed two bills SOSAZ is tracking, along with many others, bringing her total number of vetoes this year to 75. We expect to see more vetoes in the days to come.
SB1443, sponsored by Carine Werner (R-4), would have given parents the explicit legal right to make mental health care decisions for their minor child, and created a mandatory minimum $2,500 fine on schools and teachers who violate that "right." This would have put at risk every public school teacher and school counselor who supports the mental health of a minor student with unsupportive or even abusive parents. Just this month in Florida, a high school teacher's decision to use a student's preferred name has led to her contract not being renewed and a state review of her professional certificate — putting into jeopardy her future employment.
SB1534, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would have allowed for more partisan ballot language, transferring the responsibility for preparing the summary of ballot initiatives and referenda from the Secretary of State to the Legislative Council and removing the requirement for the Attorney General to approve the summaries. This was yet another effort to suppress the citizens' initiative and referendum process granted by our state constitution.
💸 Budget dangers: The only constitutionally mandated task lawmakers face each year is negotiating a state budget. Withered state revenues and federal chaos and uncertainty make this an extremely difficult task, even without the looming threat of recession. And Republican lawmakers' myopic hyperfocus on vouchers over the many pressing real issues our state faces are complicating budget negotiations even further. Without a budget, Arizona has just under 60 days left until a state-level shutdown. This makes your engagement critical. Stay in contact with your state senator and representatives, as well as the governor's office at [email protected] or 602-542-4331, to be sure they are aware of the public's expectations — not vouchers or tax giveaways, but reinvesting in PUBLIC education. Click HERE or the image below to send your lawmakers email now!
✅ Stay in the know: The SOSAZ Bill Tracker contains full information about the bills SOSAZ supports or opposes and gives you up-to-the-minute information on where these bills stand. |
|
|
Book Club is BACK📚 Join Save Our Schools Arizona Network for our May Book Club to discuss Eve Ewing’s Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side from 5:00-6:00 pm at Palabras Bookstore (come early for appetizers and drinks). Then stay to hear Eve Ewing herself discuss her latest book. Can’t make it in person? Join us virtually on Sunday, May 18 for a final book discussion from 4:00-5:00pm. Additional resources and materials will be emailed out this week!
|
Attorney General Mayes Town Hall: Attorney General Kris Mayes is hosting townhalls about the DOGE Cuts and other federal funding issues. The next one will be held in Yuma on Wednesday, May 14 from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Yuma Arts Center, 245 S Main St, Yuma 85364. |
Help Voters on May 28! Want to help voters who have been kicked off the voter rolls? Join us for a virtual phonebank on Wednesday, May 28, 4:00-5:30pm and help voters get re-registered! Training is provided so all experience levels are welcome! |
|
|
Contact Us
[email protected] Save Our Schools Arizona
PO Box 28370
Tempe, AZ 85285
United States Paid for by Save Our Schools Arizona. Not authorized by any candidate. |
|
|
|
