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Arizona is poised to become the first state with a universal school choice program once Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signs legislation he says will “transform” the state and serve as an education model for the nation.
HB 2853 passed the Arizona state legislature last week in a party-line vote with only Republicans backing the effort to grant the state’s Empowerment Scholarship accounts to all students. Pending the governor’s signature, the bill will provide Arizona students of all income brackets with more than $6,000 annually in education scholarships that can be used to cover any sort of school-related expense, including private school tuition, school material expenses, and private tutoring.
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In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Ducey, a longtime advocate of school choice, said he was excited about the opportunities the legislation will provide for families in Arizona.
“Arizona has already been the leading state in the nation on school choice,” Ducey said. “This establishes Arizona as the gold standard of educational freedom and puts the power to parents to establish their child’s education.”
The Empowerment Scholarship accounts, first enacted in 2011 by Ducey’s predecessor, Jan Brewer, are currently available to roughly 12,000 Arizona students. The expansion to the program opens eligibility to the state’s more than 1 million students.
“This policy can transform our state,” Ducey said.
In his State of the State address earlier this year, the governor implored the legislature to “think big and find more ways to get kids into the school of their parents’ choice.”
“I think if other governors follow suit, it can transform our country,” he told the Washington Examiner. “K-12 education has been flatlining for decades. And this is the innovative improvement that will take it to the level we expect so that our kids get a great education in math, reading, science, American civics, and character formation.”
The legislation, Ducey said, will allow parents to “vote with their feet” and take their children out of the public schools that they might otherwise feel trapped in, whether it be because of inadequate instruction or controversial curricula such as critical race theory.
“[This bill] puts the parents in control. The parents have all the power. They are consumers now — and they’re pretty good consumers,” Ducey said. “And what they’re going to do is what’s in the best interest of their child, and now, they can take action when necessary.”
The state government’s push to expand the Empowerment Scholarship accounts was lauded by school choice advocates, including Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, who told the Washington Examiner that Arizona “just cemented itself as the No. 1 state for school choice in the nation.”
“Arizona is now the gold standard for school choice. Every other state should follow Arizona’s lead and fund students instead of systems,” DeAngelis said. “Republicans all across the country are calling themselves the ‘Parents’ Party.’ Republicans in Arizona just proved it.”
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a longtime advocate of school choice policies, also cheered the passage of the bill as “a groundbreaking piece of legislation for students in Arizona.”
“[This legislation] has huge implications for the 1.1 million K-12 students in Arizona,” DeVos told the Washington Examiner. “I am very excited for what this can mean for families there, many of whom have continued to struggle and/or be frustrated following the last couple of years and their experiences in their assigned school.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
As for what Arizona’s legislative push for school choice could mean elsewhere, Ducey encouraged other states to follow the school choice trend set by the Grand Canyon State.
“Arizona is proud to be a trendsetter in educational excellence and freedom,” the governor said. “We’re happy to have everyone come along and we’re happy to help, reach out, and we’ll show you the way.”
