PHOENIX — The system of universal school vouchers enacted by Republican lawmakers is going to cost Arizona taxpayers far more than anyone had thought.
In a memo to legislative budget staff, Christine Accurso, director of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, said by the end of the next school year there will be about 100,000 students who will get state funds to attend private and parochial schools.
That compares with just around 58,000 who are now in the program, with another 3,000 who already have submitted their applications.
