OPINION — Two organizations opposed to private school vouchers — Arizona Education Association and Save Our Schools Arizona — have filed an initiative placing new restrictions and requirements on the program.
Irrespective of whether the initiative gets to the ballot, this should serve as a wake-up call for voucher supporters. Certain features of the current Empowerment Scholarship Account program are indefensible, and therefore politically unsustainable. If supporters — in whose ranks I am to be found — don’t take the lead on reform, the reform field will be vacated to opponents, whose reach will extend well beyond the indefensible features of the current program, as the proposed initiative illustrates.
In one respect, the initiative is surprisingly mild. It doesn’t reverse the 2022 legislative expansion making all students eligible for ESAs — not just those falling into certain categories, such as having a disability or attending a failing public school. Instead, it puts a cap on eligibility based upon family income. Those making more than $150,000 a year would no longer be eligible.
