Long-time school choice advocates celebrated with Governor Doug Ducey as he signed a bill that opens the scholarship program to every K-12 student in Arizona. Ducey was joined by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ben Toma, at Phoenix Christian Preparatory School for the signing ceremony.
School choice advocates Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, Pastor Drew Anderson, of First Watch Ministries, Arizona State Sen. David Gowan, Arizona State Reps. Shawnna Bolick and Quang Nguyen, Janelle Wood, founder of the Black Mothers Forum, as well as families, educators and other community leaders, came together to celebrate Arizona’s successful effort to ensure every Arizona student can attend any school of their choosing.
Proud to have participated in creating educational freedom for our children 👇 https://t.co/ZhrddG3tg8
— Quang Nguyen (@QuangNguyenAZ) August 17, 2022
Toma’s legislation has been lauded as the most expansive school choice initiative in the nation.
“I was proud to continue the Arizona tradition of leading on school choice and bring educational freedom to more than 1.1 million students,” said House Majority Leader Toma. “By opening Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to every K-12 student, we will improve outcomes and make choice a reality for all students. This session, we stood together to get this done for Arizona students and parents. Governor Ducey has been an invaluable partner in transforming school choice in our state, leading the way in unlocking the schoolhouse door.”
With ESAs open to all students, Arizona solidified its position as the gold standard for educational freedom. In a story published today, Chris Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said “universal school choice has long been the Holy Grail for conservative education reformers. Governor Ducey has achieved it.”
Corey DeAngelis has been able to accomplish huge victories in part because he simplifies the message, repeats it until saturation, and gets the politicians and the grassroots to buy in. This is a powerful model for conservative activism. https://t.co/QWN0Ne7hq3
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) August 17, 2022
The ceremony at Phoenix Christian was highlighted by elementary schoolers singing a welcome song and stories from Arizona families of how school choice has unlocked their children’s full potential.
Parent Annie Meade has seen firsthand how Arizona’s education options can impact a child’s education. Her four children have had a combination of homeschool, microschool and public education. Universal ESAs stand to bring new opportunities to her kids, who are now all eligible. Meade spoke about her enthusiasm for the education savings accounts at the ceremony today.
“Kids deserve to be in the education environment in which they can thrive, but so many families have been limited by their income, or zip code,” said Meade. “The Empowerment Scholarship Account program was something that I learned about from other friends who had qualified, but unfortunately, our family never had access to the scholarship, until now. The passage and signing of H.B. 2853 means that now every Arizona family will have the freedom, the choice, and the opportunity to choose an ESA for their child’s education…Thank you again, Rep. Ben Toma, and Governor Doug Ducey, for making this scholarship a reality for families like mine.”
The students at Phoenix Christian are no strangers to the benefits of education savings accounts. Jeff Blake, the school’s superintendent, spoke about the resources and one-on-one learning students receive at his school.
“At Phoenix Christian Preparatory, we are proud to have 31 students on Empowerment Scholarship Accounts,” said Superintendent Blake. “This funding has helped our school serve many students in need and bring them an education that best suits them. With universal school choice, we’ll be able to serve more students with an exceptional education. We’re grateful for the foresight and leadership of Governor Ducey and the Arizona Legislature for prioritizing every K-12 student.”
Pastor Anderson, who offered compelling testimony in the Arizona Legislature as the bill wound its way through passage, offered thanks to the Legislature and the Governor at the event.
“Education is the great equalizer in America,” he said. “If we are able to give our lower-income families and minorities better education, we’re unlocking the doors to success for so many who are often left behind. As a pastor I’ve seen too many of our black and brown children struggling, just looking for some guidance on homework. I’m grateful to Governor Ducey and the Legislature for saving our kids.”
Arizona families who participate in ESAs would receive more than $6,500 per year per child for private school, homeschooling, microschools, tutoring, or any other kinds of educational service that helps meet the needs of their students outside the traditional public school system.
Wood spoke about the partnership she formed with Governor Ducey starting in 2020 to “fight to make sure our black children have an opportunity to live and breathe in a safe and supportive community whether that be a learning community, in their living community or in their homes.”
Wood continued, “As a concerned black mother, I want to make sure that we are heard loud and clear from this day forth. We matter, our children matter and we’re not going anywhere. We’re going to keep speaking to each system that holds our families back and our children back.”
DeAngelis said Arizona’s universal education savings accounts now serve as the model for the rest of the nation to follow and called the legislation “the biggest school choice victory, not just in Arizona, but in U.S. history.”
“This is how you truly empower parents and truly secure parental rights in education.” DeAngelis concluded, “I want to thank Governor Ducey for empowering every single family in the state of Arizona. This is a national model.”