Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program — commonly called school vouchers — has become one of the biggest debates in education policy across the state.
For this special episode, KAWC brings together months of reporting on why families use ESAs, what school choice actually looks like in Yuma and La Paz counties, how the program is funded and what accountability should come with public education dollars.
You’ll hear from parents, public and private school leaders, advocates and elected officials — 18 voices in all — offering different perspectives on access, cost, oversight and who should benefit from the program.
But underneath those disagreements is an even bigger question: What are public education dollars for — and ultimately, what is education for?
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This reporting was produced as part of a statewide education collaboration supported by the Arizona Local News Foundation and Report for America. All stories in the project can be found here.
