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AZ proposal would allow all kids school vouchers

Posted at 10:32 AM, Jan 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-22 12:32:22-05

An Arizona House proposal would remove limits on the state's school voucher program and allow every public school student to use state cash to attend a private school.

The expansion proposal in House Bill 2482 is the latest in a series that began after the Republican-controlled Legislature created the Empowerment Scholarship Account program in 2011.

It initially applied only to students with disabilities and was sold as a way for parents to choose private programs that best suited their children. It has been expanded repeatedly since then.

Mesa Republican Rep. Justin Olson's proposal would maintain a total enrollment limit, but that cap expires after 2019.

Olson says expanding the program increases opportunities for all Arizona children. Opponents say the expansion comes at the expense of public schools.