Arizona Governor Signs Law Creating The Nation’s Biggest School Choice Program

Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law creating the widest school choice program in the country by opening up students’ eligibility for taxpayer-funded scholarships, according to a July 7 press release.

House Bill 2853 allows all Arizona students in grades K-12 to receive taxpayer-funded vouchers if they choose to leave or are already outside of the public education system, according to the press release. Under the legislation, more than 1.1 million Arizona students in public and charter schools are eligible to receive funds to transfer schools; previously just a third of the students were eligible for the program, the Associated Press stated.

Nearly 100,000 students being homeschooled or in private education are now eligible for annual vouchers worth up to $7,000 per student, the AP reported.

“This is a monumental moment for all of Arizona’s students. Our kids will no longer be locked in under-performing schools. Today, we’re unlocking a whole new world of opportunity for them and their parents,” Ducey said in the press release. “With this legislation, Arizona cements itself as the top state for school choice and as the first state in the nation to offer all families the option to choose the school setting that works best for them.”

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On Wednesday, anti-school choice organization Save Our Schools announced its initiative #StopVoucherExpansion to shut down the new law.

Save Our Schools aims to get more than 118,000 signatures before Sept. 25, 2022, in order to halt the voucher program, the organization announced in a Twitter video. If enough signatures are gathered, the voucher program will be put to a vote.

Ducey and Save Our Schools Arizona did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.