sosarizona.org [sosarizona.org]
Hi John,
🚨 BREAKING: Arizona families and educators just filed a NEW 2026 ballot initiative to rein in our state’s out-of-control, $1 billion dollar voucher program.
We’re fighting for:
✅ Stronger safety standards to protect kids
✅ Real accountability to stop waste, fraud & abuse
✅ Recovering critical funding for public schools
The state now has 30 days to review what we submitted. Since lawmakers have failed to deliver real reform, we’re ready to take this directly to voters.
Pledge to Sign & Volunteer TODAY! [[link removed]]
Read the full statement:
Today, a coalition of Arizona families and educators represented by the Arizona Education Association and Save Our Schools Arizona filed language with the Secretary of State for a ballot measure to bring accountability and transparency to Arizona’s $1 billion universal ESA voucher program, while improving safety standards, preserving flexibility for students with disabilities, and recovering critically needed funds for Arizona’s local public schools.
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.
This initiative includes:
✅ New Safety Measures to Protect Kids:
* Requires all voucher-funded schools to comply with basic safety standards
* Requires that voucher-funded schools investigate allegations of misconduct
✅ Basic Standards to Prevent Waste, Fraud, and Abuse :
* Banning the use of ESA voucher funds for non-educational and luxury items
* Recoup millions in unused funds for public schools
* Transparency for voucher funds
* Clarifying enforcement authority
✅ Re-Focusing the Voucher Program on Families with the Highest Need :
* 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:
* Requires 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.
The ballot language filed today is subject to a 30-day Legislative Council review period and may be revised based on that review.
Publicly available polling [[link removed]] shows that nearly three-in-four Arizona voters approve of core accountability measures proposed in the ballot language, with support holding strong across political ideology and geography. Learn more here. [[link removed]]
Support our work by donating to the Public Education Defense Fund!
Donate to SOSAZ! [[link removed]]
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Contact Us
[email protected]
Save Our Schools Arizona
PO Box 28370
Tempe, AZ 85285
United States
Paid for by Save Our Schools Arizona. Not authorized by any candidate or any candidate’s agent.
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