Arizona Voters May Decide Major Overhaul to School Voucher Program

Teachers' union and advocacy group file ballot measure to add guardrails on Empowerment Scholarships.

Feb. 6, 2026 at 5:55pm

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The Arizona Education Association and Save Our Schools Arizona have filed paperwork to put a measure on the November ballot that would reform the state's controversial Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, a loosely regulated school voucher system. The proposed reforms aim to improve accountability, protect student safety, and curb wasteful spending in the ESA program.

Why it matters

Arizona's ESA program has faced growing concerns over misuse of funds and unequal benefits, with a recent investigation finding taxpayer dollars being used for questionable purchases and the program primarily benefiting wealthy families rather than vulnerable students. This ballot measure represents a direct challenge to the Republican-controlled legislature, which has blocked previous attempts to reform the program.

The details

The ballot measure would introduce several major restrictions on the ESA program, including requiring all voucher-funded schools to have students take assessment tests or be accredited, investigate allegations of misconduct, and comply with basic safety standards. It would also limit ESAs to families making less than $150,000 a year, ban the use of funds for luxury or non-educational purchases, and require unused funds to be returned to public schools. The Attorney General would be tasked with enforcing the new provisions.

  • The ballot language filed on February 6, 2026 is subject to a 30-day Legislative Council review period and may be revised.
  • Organizers must collect at least 255,949 valid signatures by July 2, 2026 to qualify the measure for the November 2026 ballot.

The players

Arizona Education Association

The state's teachers' union that has filed the ballot measure paperwork.

Save Our Schools Arizona

A public education advocacy group that has filed the ballot measure paperwork alongside the teachers' union.

Marisol Garcia

President of the Arizona Education Association and an eighth-grade teacher.

Beth Lewis

The leader of Save Our Schools Arizona.

Katie Hobbs

The Democratic Governor of Arizona who has previously proposed ESA reforms that were blocked by the Republican-controlled legislature.

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What they’re saying

“We feel that it is the right time to bring to the voters an idea to reform the voucher program. This is an example of taxpayer fraud, waste, and abuse.”

— Marisol Garcia, President, Arizona Education Association

“We've got a spending problem when it comes to vouchers. We've got a billion dollars that's completely unaccounted for, and we've got public schools that are closing.”

— Beth Lewis, Leader, Save Our Schools Arizona

What’s next

The Secretary of State's office says organizers must collect at least 255,949 valid signatures by July 2, 2026 to qualify the measure for the November 2026 ballot.

The takeaway

This ballot measure represents a direct challenge by education advocates to the Republican-controlled legislature's expansion of Arizona's controversial school voucher program, which has faced growing concerns over misuse of funds and unequal benefits. If approved by voters, the reforms would introduce new accountability measures and financial restrictions on the program.