Gov. Hobbs Calls to Stop Voucher Welfare for the Wealthy
Adding income caps would save taxpayers at least $150 million a year, according to Gov. Hobbs’ office. Renewing Prop 123 would add desperately needed funding for public schools. Will #AZLeg act?
On Monday, in her third State of the State speech, Gov. Katie Hobbs made it clear that public education remains a cornerstone priority for her office: "The best way to ensure we have a strong, thriving economy is by acting decisively to support our public K-12 schools." We couldn’t agree more; we urge lawmakers of all political stripes to take notes and take action!
A pro-public education budget: Hobbs once again called on lawmakers to rein in universal ESA vouchers, a demand the public shares but one Republican lawmakers have long ignored. She also proposes restoring the opportunity weight and district additional assistance that were cut in last year's budget. These cuts represent a nearly $200 million loss that hit schools in low-income areas (and thus the most vulnerable student populations in our state) the hardest.
💸 No More Coupons for the Rich: In her executive budget, Hobbs proposed an income cap on the universal ESA voucher program, halting funding for households making over $200,000 a year and then scaling amounts based on income (100% for families earning less than $100,000, 75% for $101-130,000, 50% for $131-160,000 and 25% for $161-199,000). Pre-universal vouchers are not subject to income caps.
While exact data on who uses ESA vouchers is challenging to obtain due to the program’s total lack of transparency (the Arizona Department of Education doesn't collect household income data on ESA voucher families, for example), the scant data available to taxpayers paints a clear picture: the vast majority of vouchers go to the wealthiest zip codes in Arizona. Multiple analyses have found a clear correlation: for any given zip code, the higher the household income, the more families that use vouchers.
Hobbs’ office projects this scaled approach will save at least $150 million, which can be used to fund K-12 schools, water, roads, transportation, public safety and more, as the state would stop handing taxpayer subsidies to families who had been previously choosing and affording private school. As Hobbs pointed out, "Other entitlements funded by taxpayers have strict oversight and income requirements. Yet the ESA program has the privilege of virtually no safeguards.”
“Members of this Legislature must ask themselves:
● Do we finally put guardrails around ESAs to protect against fraud, waste and abuse – or do we continue to write a blank check with taxpayer money?
● Do we lower costs by investing in child care and housing – or do we continue to subsidize the rich?
● Do we provide lifesaving care to new mothers and their children – or do we continue paying for grand pianos to sit in multi-million-dollar homes?
● Do we give our police a raise and secure our border – or do we continue to pay for ski resort passes?”
— Gov. Katie Hobbs on universal ESA vouchers in her 2025 State of the State address
Unfortunately for Arizona taxpayers, Republicans seem to see any reform of universal ESA vouchers as a non-starter. Newly elected House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-29) called the governor’s speech “out of touch.” And Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne watched the speech with his arms crossed, criticizing Hobbs afterward and saying she “gets an F." (If you ask us, that’s a badge of honor.)
Hobbs also made it clear she expects a renewal bill for Prop 123, the education funding measure that expires July 1. "If we fail to act," she said, "we are throwing away an opportunity to fund teacher pay raises and give Arizona’s children the opportunity they deserve – all without raising taxes on a single Arizonan." Hobbs' executive budget proposal allocates $285 million for a Prop 123 renewal as additional revenue for public schools. Lawmakers have yet to introduce a bill to reup the 2016 measure, but have until February 10 to do so.
Hobbs' remarks on public education came amidst a broader call for bipartisanship and compromise. As Hobbs said near the end of her speech, “We know what is possible when we put our differences aside and do what’s right – no obstacle is too great and no divide is too wide to overcome.” It's up to lawmakers now. Will this Republican legislative majority choose to do what's right, become responsible stewards of Arizonans' hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and properly fund our state's public schools? Time will tell.
Email Gov. Hobbs & your lawmakers to urge them to do their constitutional duty and invest in Arizona’s public schools! Our easy-to-use, one-click email tool is preloaded with SOSAZ’s legislative priorities, but we also encourage you to customize your email for maximum impact.
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🛑 Use Request to Speak on the following bills:
👎 NO on SB1028 • 👍 YES on SB1041
👎 NO on HB2008 • 👎 NO on HB2018
👎 NO on HB2019 • 👎 NO on HB2022
👎 NO on HB2062 • 👎 NO on HB2113
SB1028, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would reinstate high-stakes testing to graduate from high school. In 2015, when Republican lawmakers overwhelmingly chose to repeal the requirement, they stated that "the test has no meaning behind it" and that "placing all the responsibility and stress on individual students for the success of our educational system is unfair." Just six states still require high school exit exams; states that have repealed them caution against conflating a measure of learning with “a meaningless hoop to jump through.” The bill exempts CTED students and those with IEPs and 504 plans. State Supt. Tom Horne promoted a similar bill last year, which failed to pass. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, 1/15, but held; again on the agenda for this Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1041, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would allow school board candidates to use Arizona’s electronic signature portal, E-Qual, to gather signatures. Stacey Travers (D-12) is running an identical bill, HB2151. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.
HB2008, sponsored by John Gillette (R-30), would require notaries to hold fingerprint clearance cards and provide their thumbprint with each notarization. Many private citizens become notaries to assist with citizen initiatives. Asking them to obtain an additional certification at personal expense, and adding an additional hoop to the notarization of each petition, acts as an unneeded burden on citizen participation in direct democracy. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2018, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would allow private and for-profit universities in Arizona to provide taxpayer-funded financial assistance to students in teacher training programs on the same terms as those at Arizona’s three state universities. These private, for-profit universities would get a share of the $20 million in tax funding, decreasing the funding available to accredited public universities which have much more robust and successful programs. Public universities do a more efficient job of providing education to a wider range of students with fewer dollars; private universities are often more selective, costlier and do not offer in-state benefits for students. This is not only privatization, but poor value for tax money. Grand Canyon University pushed a similar bill the last two years, which failed to pass. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday, and House Appropriations Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2019, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would require district and charter schools to give parents of newly enrolled students information on water safety education courses and swimming lessons, along with a list of local instructors. While well-intended, this is an unfunded mandate that puts a significant burden on already overstretched (and underfunded) schools. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
HB2022, sponsored by Selina Bliss (R-1), would allow K-12 public and private schools to authorize employees to carry firearms on school grounds. The school would have to notify law enforcement of how many (but not which) employees are carrying, ensure the employees have a certification from an ADE-approved list of training programs, and keep their names confidential, including from parents at the school. The bill also gives these employees immunity from any liability if they are "acting in good faith during active threat events." Arizona's Republican state lawmakers have long tried to force guns into schools. Passed House Education Committee, 1/14, along partisan lines. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2062, sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), is an almost exact copy of a bill vetoed last year which would remove any reference to gender in Arizona law and replace it with “sex,” defined as the male or female label assigned to someone at birth based on their physical and reproductive characteristics. This narrow, inflexible and unscientific definition of biological sex would eliminate any legal recognition of transgender people and raise their risk of experiencing violence (which is already much higher than average). The law could also negatively impact school funding. Title IX forbids schools from engaging in sex-based discrimination, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity; under this bill, schools could be put in the impossible position of violating state law or losing federal funding. Last year's bill was pushed by the evangelical Christian lobbyist group Center for Arizona Policy and vetoed by Gov. Hobbs. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2113, sponsored by Nick Kupper (R-25), would ban the display of certain flags in Arizona schools, such as LGBTQ+ Pride and Black Lives Matter flags, on the grounds that they promote "divisive messages." The bill appears to have grown out of a policy proposed by a MAGA school board member who filed a lawsuit against Mesa Public Schools for its policies in support of transgender students; the "unfounded" lawsuit was dismissed by the courts. Critics say the ban will cause BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in school simply for being who they are. The bill also presents free speech issues, and seemingly bans current and historical flags from other countries. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
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Volunteer Celebration Picnic! Join #TeamSOSAZ for a Volunteer Celebration Picnic on Sunday, January 26 at Granada Park in Phoenix! Be in community with other public education supporters for food and fun together. Please feel free to bring friends, family, and kids — all are welcome! Help us get a headcount for food and REGISTER HERE.
It’s happening!! 🎉Join us for our 2nd annual Celebration of Arizona’s Public Schools gala on March 29, 2025 at the Madison Performing Arts Center! Our special guest will be Jess Piper, an incredible public education advocate from Missouri and TikTok superstar. We will have delicious food and drinks, student performances, awards for incredible educators, and so much more! Tickets are on sale now for $120. Get yours before they sell out — and if you’re an educator or student, we welcome you to use the code EDUC8 to receive 50% off (select “unlock” to enter the code). PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Check out some incredible pictures and stories from across the state that make us #PublicSchoolProud! Do you know a story we should spotlight? Post it on social media with #PublicSchoolProud or email tyler@sosarizona.org to let us know!
Graduates of Arizona public schools are doing amazing things every day! Kate Faasse, graduate of Pinnacle High School in Paradise Valley Unified, was just named the 2024 Mac Hermann Trophy winner while playing at the University of North Carolina, a prestigious award given to the best college soccer player of the year. ⚽️🏆
📚💖 Congratulations to Mrs. Herrera and her 2nd Grade class from Metcalf Elementary School in Morenci for winning a Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Teacher Wish worth $2500! Mrs. Herrera used the award to build a cozy reading nook to help her students fall in love with reading.
In Flagstaff, the Killip Elementary 3rd grade chess team came in third place at the 2025 AZ State Grades Chess Championships held at Flagstaff High School! Way to go to these Chess Masters! ♟️🥉
🌟 James B. Rolle Preschool in Yuma earned their very first five-star rating of excellence, a sign their school far exceeds quality standards. This rating, issued by First Things First, is the highest honor a preschool can achieve in Arizona!! Congratulations to these amazing educators.
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