NEW: 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.
According to an Associated Press, HB 2853 gives all Arizona parents the ability to take state money that would go to their local public school, and instead use it for private school tuition or other educational costs.
A universal school voucher expansion, according to the AP, has been a key goal during Gov. Ducey's eight years in office. Due to term limits, he is ineligible to run for another term in this year's gubernatorial election.That year, the issue of universal school vouchers was the topic for Proposition 305, which, according to that year'sThe AP article on the ballot measure's defeat noted that opponents of Proposition 305 also benefited from a division amongst parents whose children were, under the rules at the time, eligible for the vouchers, with some fearing that opening up eligibility to all could leave insufficient funds and openings for those with special needs.Signature numbers debated in Arizona voucher challengeArizona Governor Doug Ducey holds ceremonial signing of school voucher expansion bill