Senate panel OKs massive school-voucher expansion

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Republican lawmakers took the first steps Tuesday to approve what would be the largest-ever increase in who can get a voucher of state funds to attend private and parochial schools. 

On a party-line 5-3 vote, members of the Senate Education Committee agreed to vastly expand a program first created a decade ago as providing opportunities for students with special needs. 

Since that time lawmakers have expanded that to include children of active duty military, children in foster car, residents of Indian reservations, and students attending schools rated D and F. 

About 10,000 students now get these vouchers, formally known as “empowerment scholarship accounts.” 

SB 1657, crafted by Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, would make vouchers available to all children of veterans and full-time health professionals who provide direct health care. Even broader, it would say any student living in the boundaries of a Title I school — those serving a large percentage of low-income children — also would qualify, regardless of their own financial status. 

An analysis of a similar proposal by Boyer last year by legislative budget analysts concluded it would make more than 830,000 of the 1.1 million students now in public schools eligible for the state vouchers. 

But Sen. Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix, said even that figure is misleading. 

She pointed out SB1657 also would make vouchers available to any student in a school district that is seeking state funds for a new building based on enrollment growth. 

And all students in any district that spends more in local revenues than the tuition and fees charged Arizona residents at public universities — about $11,000 a year — also would qualify for a voucher. 

She called the Boyer plan “disingenuous” and said Boyer is trying to “hide behind our impoverished kids” as an excuse to vastly expand the program to others. 

“Nobody’s hiding,” Boyer responded. 

Anyway, Boyer said he also thinks that most of those students will stay put where they are, regardless of voucher availability. He puts the number of additional vouchers SB1657 would create at only about 25,000. 

The vouchers provide about $7,000 to eligible parents, more for students with special needs or learning disabilities. These funds can be used not only for private and parochial school tuition but also costs of home schooling and “microschools.” 

Much of the debate surrounded whether lawmakers should be putting more money into the public school system rather than diverting cash to provide alternatives. Boyer said, though, its unfair to tell students who are not getting their needs met now in public schools that they have to wait until some yet-to-be-determined additional cash is provided. 

Drew Anderson, pastor of Legacy Christian Center Church in South Phoenix, compared expanding vouchers to ending slavery. 

“There were slave owners that didn’t want to let go of their slaves because at that time they were financially into those Black bodies,” he told lawmakers. “Well, here we are in 2022 and we have school districts that don’t want to let those Black bodies go because there’s money attached to those Black bodies.” 

Anderson brushed aside questions about the lack of accountability in the use of these public funds as there is no requirement for students in these programs to take the same achievement tests as students in public schools. He said the only thing that counts is that students are graduating from high school and, for many, getting the opportunity to go on to college. 

Ron Johnson who lobbies on behalf of the state’s three Catholic bishops, also spoke in support, speaking of the 23 Catholic schools in the Tucson diocese and 35 in the Phoenix diocese. 

“This will help many more children attend the school that best addresses their needs,” he said. 

Jim Swanson, CEO of the Kitchell Corp., did not dispute that some students are not getting the education they need in public schools. But he said that putting more dollars into vouchers is not the answer. 

“I’m a firm believer in funding the 93% of our students, of our kids, that go to public education,” Kitchell said. 

“So instead of taking money out of our public education system, why not, as Sen. Marsh suggested, invest where the real problem is, and that is poverty,” he continued, citing links between students who come from low-income homes and academic achievement. And Kitchell said that could be accomplished by giving schools more money based on the number of poor students they have. 

“So instead of taking money out of our public education system, why not, as Sen. Marsh suggested, invest where the real problem is, and that is poverty.” 

Jim Swanson, CEO of the Kitchell Corp. 

The idea of more funding drew questions from Sen. Rick Gray, R-Sun City. He said that Utah students do better academically and with fewer dollars. And Gray suggested to Kitchell that he needs to think more like the businessman he is. 

“If you’ve got a company that’s not producing, you find out what’s going on,” Gray said, rather than pouring more money into it. 

Kitchell said he can’t tell lawmakers how much it would take to properly fund public schools. 

“But I do know we have 2,000 vacant teaching positions,” he said, with people not wanting to become teachers and others leaving the classroom. “So that tells me you’re not giving people a job they want.” 

That question of how much public school funding is enough also bothered Sen. Tyler Pace, R-Mesa, comparing it to the computer game of Tetris where colored blocks keep coming. 

“You can never win,” he said, saying that whatever lawmakers allocate is never enough. Pace said that vouchers, while not for everyone, can and should be used “prudently.” 

Beth Lewis, co-founder of Save Our Schools Arizona, said lawmakers were ignoring what Arizonans want. 

She cited 2017 legislation that could have made all students eligible for voucher programs. But when her organization referred it to the ballot in 2018 it was rejected by a margin of nearly 2-1. 

Boyer, however, said voucher supporters also voted against it because of how it was worded rather than opposition to the program. And he said he has a poll which shows 74% of those asked support what is in this bill. 

Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, said as far as he is concerned the legislation doesn’t go far enough. 

Shope, who at one time served on the governing board of Coolidge schools, supports the concept of “backpack funding,” where the state aid follows the student wherever he or she goes. 

“We should encourage parents to make the right choice,” he said. 

The measure now needs approval of the full Senate. 

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