Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs announced Friday that a petition seeking to force a ballot referendum for the state's new universal school choice program had failed to obtain the requisite number of signatures.
ecretary of State Katie Hobbs announced Friday that a petition seeking to force a ballot referendum for the state's new universalThe effort by Save Our Schools Arizona needed to submit 118,823 signatures in order to force a statewide referendum on the program in 2024.
But on Friday, Hobbs announced her office had confirmed the requirement would not be met. Arizona Secretary of State and candidate for governor Katie Hobbs speaks to reporters at a news conference on August 02, 2022. "We have informed the SOS committee that the referendum will not qualify for the 2024 General Election Ballot," Hobbs said in a statement."While the statutorily required review continues, our office has inspected enough petitions & signatures to confirm that the 118,823 signature minimum will not be met." The school choice program, which now fully goes into effect, provides the Grand Canyon State's 1.1 million students with over $6,000 annually to pay for school-related expenses, including tuition at a private school. The program was passed by Arizona's legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey in July.in recent days for allegedly slow-walking the announcement of the petition's failure. In a statement following Hobbs's announcement, Save Our Schools Arizona said that the failure of the referendum effort was"a devastating blow" to the state's public school system. "The decision by Ducey and the legislature to enact this dangerous law is further proof that they have abandoned their constitutional obligation to provide adequate resources to public school students," the group said."Arizona's public schools are on the verge of losing over $76 million virtually overnight as these ESA voucher funds are siphoned to private schools and homeschooling with little to no academic or financial accountability." Hobbs's announcement was cheered by conservatives and school choice advocates, who celebrated the failed effort. “This is a monumental victory for students not only in Arizona, but also across the nation,” said Matt Beienburg, the director of education policy at the Goldwater Institute, an Arizona-based think tank that supports the program. “Lawmakers in every other state now know it’s possible to defeat the radical teachers unions and make students the priority of our education system once again.” Arizona House Majority Leader Ben Toma, a Republican, likewise celebrated the news, saying that"school choice is increasingly popular with Arizona parents, especially those whose children are stuck in a failing school."Other states should take note.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Arizona proves we don't need to fear the teachers unions“They wrote a bill that benefits all students,” said Beth Lewis, head of Save Our Schools Arizona, after Arizona legislators expanded the state’s education savings account program this year.
Read more »
AZ Taxpayers Foot Bill for Katie Hobbs Racial Discrimination CaseThe plaintiff who successfully sued the Arizona Senate for racial and sex discrimination in the workplace, which she says Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Katie Hobbs is responsible for, has finally received her $300,000 award.
Read more »
School choice expansion in Arizona will move forwardSchool choice expansion will move forward after the group Save Our Schools failed to get enough signatures on a citizens' referendum to put the expansion on hold.
Read more »
Opponents of Arizona school voucher expansion fail to gather enough signaturesNEW: A massive expansion of Arizona’s private school voucher system will go into effect after public school advocates failed to gather enough signatures to block the law.
Read more »
Arizona’s school-choice program prevails as foes come up short on referendum signaturesA teachers’ union-backed campaign to overturn Arizona’s universal voucher law has failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, allowing the state to move forward with what has been described as the most expansive school-choice program in the nation.
Read more »