Arizona ballot initiative could expand scholarship accounts for private schools

Arizona Prop 305 could expand student eligibility for the empowerment scholarship account program.

Empowerment scholarship accounts give qualified students an opportunity to use taxpayer dollars to attend a private or homeschool.

Students or siblings of students that have a disability, have parents in the military, attend or live near a D or F rated school or school district or live on a Native American reservation are eligible to apply for an empowerment scholarship account as the law stands now, according to the Arizona Department of Education’s website.

Yes for Ed AZ explained the proposition would open the program to half of one percent of public school students who want to pursue their education in a different environment for the next four years.

Save Our Schools Arizona PAC is against the measure and wants to keep the program the way it is.

The measure leaves very little accountability as to whether tax dollars are being spent legitimately, according to Dawn Penich-Thacker, Save Our Schools Arizona PAC spokeswoman.

Yes for Ed AZ claimed that no money is taken from public schools because they claimed funding follows students and will continue to follow the student.

Penich-Thacker explained that public schools in rural areas will get hit the hardest.
“The public schools are the backbone of these communities, but they’re still going to take the hit, even though that money is flowing up to Phoenix and Scottsdale, where all the private schools are,” said Penich-Thacker.

Yes for Ed AZ explained that it will give students in rural areas more options.

“Usually in more rural areas, families might have less options in general. So, for those families they will have more choice now because they can apply for the scholarship,” said Jenny Clark, spokeswoman for Yes for Ed AZ.

Arizona voters will make the final decision on November 6.