Arizona Senate approves huge school voucher expansion

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - A massive expansion of the Arizona's school voucher system has been approved by the state's Republican-controlled Senate.

This new development is said to be a contentious proposal aimed at low-income students but that also adds wealthier parents who could use public money to pay for private schools.

The measure would make as many as 85% of the state’s 1.1 million public school students eligible for funds, and it comes less than four years after arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected a law that offered vouchers for all students.

All Senate Democrats opposed the measure, saying that low-income families have little chance of using a voucher even it one were offered and that vouchers will siphon cash from the public schools they do attend.

Wrapped into the bill are other categories that includes those with much higher incomes — including children of police, firefighters, doctors and nurses.

Rounding out the expansion would be students who attend any district that needs a new school because of enrollment growth. Schools that get more money per student than state universities charge for tuition also are in, a provision that covers nearly a third of all students in Arizona.

The latest proposal faces an uncertain future in the state House where just one Republican opposition could kill it.