Governor Doug Ducey is backing a measure to massively expand the state’s private school voucher system. On the ballot as Proposition 305, a yes vote allows the vouchers system to expand, while a no vote rejects it. The referendum was forced onto the ballot after teachers and public school supporters gathered enough signatures to block a Ducey-backed law passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature in 2017. After mainly avoiding the voucher issue over the summer, Ducey now says he is strongly backing approval of the measure. Technically called Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, the program allows parents to take between 90 and 100 percent of the state money a local public school would receive to pay for private or religious education. The average student currently receives about $6,000 a year to pay for tuition or other costs, while students with disabilities get about $20,000. Proponents of Prop 305 say it gives parents options. Opponents of the expansion argue it siphons hundreds of millions of dollars from already-underfunded public schools.
