How Republicans are leveraging the debate over school reopenings to expand school vouchers

Two years ago, Arizona voters rejected a GOP law to expand the
state’s school voucher-style program. Despite that rejection, and
against the backdrop of at-home learning in the era of the
pandemic, Arizona’s Republicans are once again trying to
dramatically expand the program.  This year, the Arizona
Senate voted not just to expand the voucher system. In fact, SB
1452 is even larger than the expansion that was repealed by voters.
Under the proposed legislation, two thirds of Arizona’s 1.1 million
public-school students would qualify for the program, which lets
parents spend public money on private and religious
schooling.  The bill comes as many parents are frustrated
following months of at-home education or hybrid learning due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans are leveraging that frustration to
advocate for private schools, many of which have re-opened for
in-person learning to some degree. In this week’s episode of The
Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez
and Ronald J. Hansen talk to education reporter Lily Altavena and
data reporter Rob O’Dell about the politics of school re-opening
and school vouchers. The team discusses where in-person education
stands in Arizona, what Republicans are proposing and how that
would shape education for students and parents alike. Learn more
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