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It’s the Vouchers
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¡Lea el Semanario en español! [[link removed]]
As the nation’s first federal voucher program moves in Congress, Arizona Republicans continue to plot and scheme to plant a voucher poison pill in Prop 123 [[link removed]]
From Arizona to DC, the agenda is becoming increasingly clear: privatizers are after our public schools, and they’re aiming to totally dismantle public education, replacing it with an unaccountable, voucherized, for-profit free-for-all that will undermine quality education for generations.
⚠️ Federal Voucher Bill Moving in Congress: This week, the US House Ways & Means Committee approved the nation’s first federal voucher program — deceptively titled “Qualified Elementary and Secondary Education Scholarships” and also known as “ECCA” — as part of Trump’s “one big, beautiful” tax proposal. The 400+-page bill seeks to make massive cuts to Medicaid and food stamps while funding a voucher program that would cost US taxpayers a projected $20 billion over the next four years.
According to the Advancement Project, the proposal would “create a nationwide private school voucher program in the form of a 100% tax break for the wealthy [[link removed]] .” Like Arizona’s voucher programs, it would give handouts to those who can already afford private school tuition and would fund private schools that pick, choose, and exclude children. This federal voucher program would further decimate our already underfunded public schools.
Federal Vouchers At a Glance
* Would divert $5 billion a year to 1 million private school vouchers across the country
* Would provide yet another tax kickback to the rich
* Would drain $3 billion+ annually from public schools across America
* Includes zero financial or academic accountability for private schools and no transparency for taxpayer dollars
In Arizona, we know the playbook. Any scheme that siphons tax dollars from public schools and diverts them to private schools is another voucher grift benefiting those who seek to line their pockets under cover of private enterprise. This federal voucher scheme would provide massive dollar-for-dollar tax credits to well-off individuals, creating a tax shelter for the rich.
Federal vouchers would divert up to $5 billion a year in taxpayer dollars from federal budgets (and therefore from public school programs). The Economic Policy Institute projects that, in the first year alone, declines in public school enrollment due to vouchers could lead to a loss of $3.1 billion nationwide [[link removed]] in public education funding. Read our full blog on the federal voucher scam here: bit.ly/FedVoucherScam [[link removed]]
🚨 There’s still time to ACT —
Say NO to Federal Vouchers 🚨
📨 EMAIL NOW: Tell your members of Congress to vote NO on federal vouchers with our easy-to-use tool ➡️ bit.ly/NoFedVouchers [[link removed]]
☎️💥 CALL TODAY: Call AZ Senators Kelly & Gallego and your US House Rep. using this easy script [[link removed]] — 3 quick calls take 10 minutes MAX!
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Update on Prop 123 & the Voucher Poison Pill: All indications are that Republicans are continuing to work behind the scenes on their scheme to bundle unpopular vouchers into the Prop 123 renewal intended to fund public schools. So far, together, we’ve sent 5,000 emails and 500 calls to lawmakers, and they are feeling the heat! 🔥The House is scheduled to gavel in on Tuesday, presumably to introduce an amendment detailing this unholy mashup. We must make our voices heard — it's up to us to keep the pressure on! Your outreach is working, so keep it up! If you've already contacted your lawmakers, please do so again.
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🚨 Say NO VOUCHERS in PROP 123 🚨
👉 Send an email [[link removed]] to your lawmakers with one click! 👈
👉 Call your lawmakers & bill sponsors [[link removed]] using these easy directions! 👈
READ THE FULL WEEKLY EDUCATION REPORT HERE [[link removed]]
LEA EL SEMANARIO EN ESPAÑOL [[link removed]]
K-12 Roundup
🏫🎒🧑‍🏫 All the school news you need to know from this week in one quick read:
💥 ICYMI — AG Mayes Beats Trump in Court to Restore School Funding:
Last week, AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes secured a court order [[link removed]] that forced the Trump administration to restore access to $1 billion in state grants passed by Congress. These critical Dept. of Education programs support low-income and unhoused students, as well as services to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students. AG Mayes said, “The Trump administration violated the law when it tried to strip away critical education funding that Congress had already appropriated. This order restores essential support for students and holds the administration accountable to the rule of law.”
😢 Roosevelt Elementary Schools Set to Close: After a vote last fall, five Roosevelt Schools will close their doors for the final time at the end of the school year [[link removed]] , including C.J. Jorgensen Elementary, one of the oldest schools in the Valley. C.J. Jorgensen first opened in 1957 and was a staple of the community, and many former students attended the school’s farewell open house to reminisce. The school board has cited a lack of funding from the state legislature, paired with enrollment drain from charter and private schools, as causes behind the closure. Principal LaToya Turner shared that “our students that go here now, their parents went here, their aunts, their uncles, their cousins went here…. Although small, Jorgenson was a mighty school and I hope that everyone remembers just the legacy of everything that happened here.”
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✉️ Letter to the Editor Warns Vouchers Will Bankrupt AZ Schools: As public schools continue to close, this letter to the editor featured in the Arizona Republic [[link removed]] from Alexis Reed in Anthem sums up the disconnect between the billion dollars spent on vouchers for the wealthy while public schools remain underfunded:
“I am sure public-school students would love to bake with high-end equipment, design clothing with the best fabrics and buy the best tools.
Do you even realize that Arizona is spending nearly a billion dollars yearly on empowerment scholarship accounts? The budget isn’t going to be able to sustain that without raising taxes.
Public school districts are struggling to provide competitive salaries for teachers, resources to maintain buildings and programs that don’t charge students. They, too, would love a piece of the education dollars’ pie.
Wake up state leaders and Arizonans, we are bankrupting the public education system.” — Alexis Reed, Anthem
What's Happening at the AZ Leg?
💰 Budget Stalled: Though lawmakers are constitutionally mandated to pass a budget by June 30 or face a state shutdown, negotiations still haven't begun [[link removed]] . Word has it that Republican legislative leaders won't engage in budget talks until they've put the final nail in Prop 123. This myopic hyperfocus on defending out-of-control vouchers over the many pressing real needs of our public schools and our students makes your engagement critical.
🚨 REIN IN VOUCHERS — IN THIS YEAR’S BUDGET! 🚨
Tell your lawmakers and Gov. Hobbs [[link removed]] that unaccountable vouchers for the rich must be reined in in this year’s budget! Our students deserve quality resources, safe buildings, and rich academic experiences that will prepare them for a strong future. Our educators deserve pay raises and quality working conditions that benefit all teachers, staff and students.
NOW is the time to demand true voucher reform and fund our public schools. Our easy-to-use, one-click email tool is preloaded with a message, but we encourage you to customize your email for maximum impact. Click HERE or the image below to send an email now! [[link removed]]
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👑 Keeping up with the “Veto Queen”: Before going on their extended break, the Legislature sent a flotilla of harmful legislation to Gov. Hobbs' desk (voted through nearly always along party lines). This past week, the governor acted on those bills, vetoing 6 SOSAZ-opposed bills along with many others. This brings her total number of vetoes this year to 137.
Vetoed Monday, May 12:
- SB1002 [[link removed]] (Kavanagh, R-3) would have banned teachers from using a student’s chosen pronouns without written parental permission, pushing manufactured, divisive culture-war issues [[link removed]] for political profit and further politicizing teachers [[link removed]] to deepen Arizona’s ongoing teacher retention crisis.
- SB1003 [[link removed]] (Kavanagh, R-3) would have banned trans kids from using the school bathrooms, changing facilities and “sleeping quarters” that align with their gender identities. Anyone who “encountered” a trans person in a bathroom could have filed suit against public schools.
- SB1091 (Hoffman, R-14) would have required that ballots in school district bond and budget override continuation elections state how much voters' taxes would drop if they refused to pass the continuations. This is blatant propaganda designed to discourage voters from supporting overrides in the name of "transparency."
Vetoed Tuesday, May 13:
- SB1097 [[link removed]] (Hoffman, R-15) would have required public district schools to close on every regular primary and general election day [[link removed]] and to provide their gymnasiums for use as polling places upon request. Teachers would have been required to attend inservice training and banned from taking a vacation day.
- HB2700 [[link removed]] (Martinez, R-16) would have inserted "a specific focus on the Gulf of America" into the state high school social studies standards for graduation. Part of a national push to force right-wing curriculum into schools [[link removed]] .
- HB2868 (Way, R-15) was a broadly worded ban on "diversity, equity and inclusion" that would have negatively impacted student learning, as well as teacher retention and recruitment.
✅ Stay in the know: The SOSAZ Bill Tracker [[link removed]] contains full information about the bills SOSAZ supports or opposes and gives you up-to-the-minute information on where these bills stand.
Join Us!
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SOSAZ is now on Mobilize! You can see our upcoming events and sign up to make a difference with us. Don't miss out on opportunities to connect and take action – head over to our Mobilize hub [[link removed]] today to see what we have coming up!
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Book Club is BACK Join Save Our Schools Arizona Network for our May Book Club to discuss Eve Ewing’s Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side THIS Sunday, May 18 for a final book discussion from 4:00-5:00pm.
REGISTER HERE [[link removed]]
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Northeast Valley CAT Chat! Support public schools and live in Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, or the surrounding area? Join the Northeast Valley Community Action Team for a virtual meet-up to get to know public school supporters in your area and find out about ways to take action!
SIGN UP HERE [[link removed]]
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Help Voters on May 28! Want to help voters who are at risk of being kicked off the voter rolls? Join us for a virtual phone bank on Wednesday, May 28, from 4-5:30 pm and help voters get re-registered! Training is provided — all experience levels are welcome!
SIGN UP HERE [[link removed]]
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Contact Us
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Save Our Schools Arizona
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Tempe, AZ 85285
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