Teachers and School Forces to Put ESA Reform on the November Ballot

With Arizona Legislative Republicans okay with rampant waste, fraud, abuse, and indoctrination in the billion-dollar a year publicly funded with working and middle class taxpayers money Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Welfare/Scam for the Wealthy Private School Voucher Program, the Arizona Education Association (AEA) and Save Our Schools Arizona have banded together to gather enough signatures to put an ESA reform initiaitve on the November, 2026 ballot.

Citing polling that shows three-quarters of Arizonans want their tax dollars spent on a system with guardrails and increased transparency and accountability, AEA and SOS Az, in a joint press release on February 6, conveyed that, if passed by the voters this November, this ESA reform initiative, called the  Protect Education, Accountability Now Act, would provide:

“New Safety Measures to Protect Kids by:

• Requiring all voucher-funded schools to comply with basic safety standards, including adherence to local fire and safety codes, background checks for educators and school staff, safe storage of heavy machinery and weapons on the premises, and common-sense protections to stop youth access to drugs and alcohol.
• Requiring that voucher-funded schools investigate allegations of misconduct and maintain fingerprint clearance cards for all employees who have unsupervised contact with children.

Basic Standards to Prevent Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by:

• Banning the use of ESA voucher funds for non-educational and luxury items (e.g., luxury appliances, lingerie, big screen TVs, jewelry, water/amusement park admission, out-of-state travel, and gift cards).
• Recouping millions in unused funds for public schools: 90 percent of Arizona’s students — including 91% of students with disabilities — attend neighborhood public schools. The initiative would require all unused ESA voucher funds be returned, redirecting millions of dollars per year back to Arizona’s public schools, which currently rank 48th in the nation in per-student funding.
• Increased Transparency for voucher funds: To better track taxpayer dollars, the initiative would require the Arizona Department of Education to report how much funding is received by voucher-funded schools each quarter.
• Clarifying enforcement authority: To cut through bureaucratic red tape and end jurisdictional battles over who has the authority to investigate and prosecute fraud and abuse, the initiative would require the Attorney General to enforce the above provisions and would authorize the Attorney General to issue civil investigative demands and file civil actions.

Re-Focusing the Voucher Program on Families with the Highest Need by:

• Ending subsidies for the wealthy: Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, requires the annual family income for universal ESA voucher students to be at or below $150,000, adjusted annually for inflation.
• Raising the Bar for Academic Quality to Support Student Success.
• Requiring all voucher-funded schools to follow academic accountability standards. To ensure students are learning, private schools would be required to have their students take similar assessments as public school students or be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting organization.”

According to KTAR, 255,949 valid signatures have to be submitted by July 2 to ensure the Protect Education, Accountability Now Act makes the November ballot.

Commenting in the press release announcing the launching of the ballot initiative, AEA President Marisol Garcia wrote:

“As a teacher, my heart breaks to see how our state’s voucher program has fallen short of the promises that lawmakers made to Arizona families. This initiative — led by educators and parents who care deeply about our kids — is Arizona’s chance to address the waste, fraud, and safety concerns that have plagued the ESA voucher program on the state’s watch. It will add accountability to the ESA voucher program while also supporting the over 90 percent of Arizona’s students — including 91 percent of students with disabilities — who attend our neighborhood public schools. Bringing this reform to the ballot is about making sure that every child in Arizona gets a high-quality education, no matter what kind of school they attend.”

SOS AZ Executive Director Beth Lewis stated:

“The legislature could pass these desperately needed reforms tomorrow to keep kids safe, ensure they’re learning, and improve the financial accountability of our taxpayer dollars. However, the legislature has obstinately refused to add any guardrails to the program for three years, leading to massive fraud, waste, and unsafe situations for kids. We the people are prepared to take matters into our own hands to deliver the real change our schools, students, and state need, and all options are on the table.”

Supporting the ballot initiative that has become necessary because Arizona Legislative Republicans like House Speaker Steven Montenegro, have obstructed and put a brick wall around the need for common sense reform, citing their devotion to parental rights and choice, including apparently a license to steal and defraud, Democratic House Assistant Leader and Educator Nancy Gutierrez commented to Blog for Arizona:

“I’m thrilled about the ballot initiative and look forward to gathering signatures and supporting it in every way I can. I’m grateful to both Save Our Schools and AEA coming together to do what my colleagues and I have been fighting to do in the Legislature. We have dropped bills very similar to the initiative, but Republicans will not budge and give any of them a committee hearing. It’s incredibly disappointing and disrespectful to the Arizonans that we represent.”

While current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is telling KTAR that the current ESA system is already “very accountable,” one of the candidates looking to replace him next January, Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz, commented to Blog for Arizona:

“Families are stepping up because politicians have refused to. When public education dollars are misused, voters have every right to demand accountability. I will be gathering signatures alongside thousands of my fellow Arizonans to protect taxpayers and our public schools.”