Goldwater Institute Responds to Suspension of Arizona Empowerment Savings Account Expansion

Phoenix—The Goldwater Institute issued the following statement in response to the news that Save Our Schools Arizona had collected sufficient signatures to delay the expansion of Arizona’s Empowerment Savings Account (ESA) program, signed by Governor Doug Ducey this past April:

“Arizona parents want their children to succeed, and Arizona’s empowerment savings accounts give them the tools to help make that happen,” Goldwater Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Butcher said. “An expansion of Arizona’s ESA program benefits all Arizona children, allowing them and their parents to create a custom education that meets their unique needs. We’re confident that Arizona families agree.”

In the past year, an average of 165 families have applied each month to participate in Arizona’s ESA program. Today, approximately 3,500 families participate.

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About the Goldwater Institute

The Goldwater Institute drives results by working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and strengthen the freedom guaranteed to all Americans in the constitutions of the United States and all 50 states. With the blessing of its namesake, the Goldwater Institute opened in 1988. Its early years focused on defending liberty in Barry Goldwater’s home state of Arizona. Today, the Goldwater Institute is a national leader for constitutionally limited government respected by the left and right for its adherence to principle and real world impact. No less a liberal icon than the New York Times calls the Goldwater Institute a “watchdog for conservative ideals” that plays an “outsize role” in American political life.