A coalition including the Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit this week regarding an attempt to delay the expansion of Arizona’s school choice program. Earlier this month, an anti-school voucher group, Save Our Schools, filed petition signatures to halt the voucher program’s expansion.
Goldwater alleges that a preliminary review of the signatures’ validity has revealed a large number of irregularities.
“By filing thousands of extremely questionable signatures, those who oppose a wider range of educational options for our state’s kids tried to pull the wool over the eyes of Arizonans,” Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches said. “This delay has put many families’ educational futures in limbo as the school year begins. This does a tremendous disservice to all of the parents and children whose main concern is not politics, but are simply seeking a better education that fits their needs and helps them achieve their dreams.”
On August 8, Save Our Schools delivered more than 100,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State. As a result, SB1431 was halted from taking effect. SB1431 expanded the availability of “Empowerment Scholarship” vouchers.
Empowerment Scholarship Account vouchers can be used to subsidize religious, private, or parochial schooling as well as homeschooling and any other expenses a family describes as “educational.