A grassroots group of parents has likely overturned a massive school voucher expansion supported by the state’s Republican establishment, as the “no” vote on Proposition 305 had a wide lead in early returns.
The “no” vote on Proposition 305 has major implications for the school-choice movement in Arizona and nationally, as the state has long been ground zero for the conservative issue and Republican leaders have crowned the Empowerment Scholarship Account expansion as a national example to follow.
The grassroots group of parents who launched the referendum by obtaining more than 111,000 signatures to put it on the ballot celebrated as early results showed a large lead, said Dawn Penich–Thacker, spokeswoman for Save Our Schools Arizona.
