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Elvia Díaz: Arizona can't afford $900M on school vouchers without accountability

By Lauren Gilger
Published: Monday, June 5, 2023 - 12:25pm

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The Show regularly checks in with the Arizona Republic editorial board to talk about current issues facing the state and the region — featured in columns on the newspaper’s op-ed pages.

The Arizona Department of Education now projects its universal school voucher program will cost the state $900 million in 2024. That’s a staggering number, and it is sending shockwaves through state government.

The department now expects 100,000 students to enroll in the program next year — up from nearly 58,000 today. It gives families roughly $8,000 a piece — and students can use the money for anything from books to private school tuition.

But Elvia Díaz says we cannot let the program ransack the state’s coffers without any accountability.

Díaz is the editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic, and she spoke to The Show about the issue.

Elvia Díaz
Arizona Republic
Elvia Díaz

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