Tucson Schools Bleeding $20 Million as Voucher Program Fuels Budget School Closures

The Tucson Unified School District is hemorrhaging $20 million annually as Arizona’s controversial voucher program diverts crucial funding away from public classrooms, according to Shelly Hartman from Save Our Schools.

Speaking at a meeting of the LD18 Democrats on August 26, 2025, Hartman painted a dire picture, revealing that nearly 4,000 TUSD students are now enrolled in the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA voucher) program, taking an average of $10,000 per child. 85% of these students were never in public school, meaning they had already attended and could afford private options.

The financial exodus is pushing the district toward potential school closures while crippling its ability to compete for quality teachers.     

“That’s teacher pay. That’s paying for staff. It’s programs that help keep the schools running,” Hartman warned, describing how district officials are now forced into impossible budget decisions as millions drain from their coffers.

The crisis exposes a tale of two school systems within Tucson’s borders. While TUSD struggles with massive funding losses, neighboring districts like Vail and Marana appear to thrive — not because they’re immune to voucher losses, but because explosive population growth and new construction provide property tax windfalls that offset the bleeding.

Republican lies

Republicans have weaponized this disparity, Hartman charged, using thriving suburban districts as proof that funding isn’t the problem while painting Tucson schools as failures. The reality tells a different story: TUSD operates 90 schools and has zero F-rated schools, only four D-rated schools, and has shown consistent improvement over three evaluation cycles.

“Those talking points are lies that Republicans use,” Hartman declared, challenging the narrative that vouchers represent genuine school choice.

The voucher drain creates cascading problems beyond basic funding. Special education students who accept ESA money lose crucial legal protections, yet federal law still requires TUSD to provide expensive services like speech therapy and evaluations are available, even for students attending private schools 20 miles away.

“The money is out. They don’t have that money for that child,” Hartman explained, describing how districts must maintain costly services without the enrollment to justify them.

Perhaps most galling to public education advocates: wealthy families are gaming the system, using tax-funded vouchers to subsidize private school tuition they could already afford, or simply banking the money for future college expenses.

“My tax dollars are now going to fund millionaires’ children who are going to private schools,” Hartman said, arguing the funds belong in public classrooms serving all students.

The financial pressure comes as districts face additional enrollment challenges from declining birth rates. Phoenix Elementary has already announced five school closures this year due to shrinking student populations.

Meanwhile, a separate seven-year legal battle recently concluded with courts ordering the state to pay $7 billion in capital funding for building maintenance–highlighting years of systematic underfunding of public education infrastructure.

As TUSD officials contemplate potential school closures, Hartman posed a provocative question: “If you imagine what a fully funded public school in Tucson Unified District would look like, I think you would say, wow, those schools are amazing.”

Voters have rejected school vouchers since 2018.

The voucher debate intensifies as Arizona continues expanding the program despite mounting evidence of its impact on traditional public schools.

A poll by Stand for Children Arizona in early 2024 found that 60% of likely Arizona voters oppose the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) voucher program after being informed about concerns like lack of oversight, use on non-educational expenses, and teacher background checks.

Within that, 48% were in strong opposition.

The same poll found 84% of Arizona voters (including across party lines) believe the ESA voucher scheme needs reform.

Also from that poll: 65% of voters said they would vote for a ballot measure to reform the ESA program by increasing oversight/transparency and limiting eligibility to those in need.

In a decisive vote, Arizonans turned down Proposition 305 in 2018, blocking a major expansion of the state’s school voucher program. The ballot measure sought to widen eligibility for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, allowing all 1.1 million public school students to use taxpayer dollars for private education.

Voters rejected the plan by a 65% to 35% margin, reflecting widespread concern that the measure would drain funding from already under-resourced public schools.

The Republican-led Legislature, however, ignored the will of the voters.