PHOENIX, Ariz. – School choice opponents are mounting a referendum campaign against the recent expansion of the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, which allows families to use per-pupil funding for whatever school they want.

According to the Arizona Republic:

Members of the group Save Our Schools Arizona said they will file paperwork this week and begin gathering signatures to refer their proposal to the November 2018 ballot. The group has planned a rally and news conference on Monday at 5 p.m. at the state Capitol.

The expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, signed into law last month by Gov. Doug Ducey, opens ESAs to all public- and charter-school students. Up to 30,000 parents could use the new program by 2022. It’s scheduled take effect 90 days after the state Legislature adjourns.

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A coalition of anti-school choice interests who formed the group Save Our Schools Arizona will have 90 days to collect about 75,000 valid signatures to register a question for the 2017 ballot that will ask voters whether they support Senate Bill 1431, which expands ESAs to all students.

If the question qualifies for the ballot, the ESA expansion will be put on hold until a vote, and if enough folks vote “no,” students who might have benefited from the program will remain stuck in poorly performing public schools.

The ESA program allows parents to direct their child’s education funding, which is deposited in an account that can be used for private school tuition, uniforms, books, tutors and other educational expenses. The ESAs are funded at 90 percent, or about $5,600, of per-pupil funding for most students, or 100 percent for low income students.

ESAs are typically opposed by teachers unions and others with a vested interest in maintaining the public school monopoly on education, and supported by parents who want better educational opportunities for their children.

Alison Porter, a Democratic organizer, said she came up with the referendum idea to kill the ESA expansion the day after it passed the legislature in April.

“I was exhausted and I woke up and said, ‘We have to change this. We cannot let this stand,’” she told the Republic.

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Opponents of school choice allege the program diverts scarce resources from public schools to private schools. They allege ESAs will decimate traditional public schools, though facts seem to dispute that notion.

“In fact, Arizona’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates that the newly enacted ESA program will save the state $3.4 million in fiscal year 2021,” the T&D reports.

Chris Kotterman, a lobbyist for the Arizona School Boards Association, told the Republic the anti-choice crusaders will face an uphill battle to repeal the ESA expansion, and will likely set up a massive political fight that could get very expensive.

“If you manage to overcome the hurdle for the signatures, then you’re just looking at a lot of spending by outside interest groups in support of ESAs,” he said. “Because Arizona has become round zero for this stuff and has been for the last 10-15 years.”

Kotterman pointed to groups like Arizona’s Goldwater Institute and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ American Federation for Children and others that will undoubtedly stand up against anti-school choice interests to support parents.

“It could easily be a million-dollar campaign on both sides,” Kotterman said, adding that the referendum is not a guarantee lawmakers won’t simply expand the program again.

“Politically I think it’s tempting to want to do it,” he said. “but I don’t know if it solves the problem in the long term.”

Luis Heredia, who has experience working on Democratic campaigns, also told the Republic he’s skeptical the referendum effort will be a success.

“There’s a lot of challenges without an institution or organizations backing a campaign like this, it gets really hard,” he said. “You have to have the infrastructure in place throughout Maricopa County and throughout other parts of the state. It takes a lot of heavy lifting. It’s not an easy task.”