Arizona Families Face Two Competing School Voucher Ballot Measures as Yuma Parents Brace for November Vote

Two initiatives, one question: who controls Arizona's $2 billion voucher program?

Two competing ballot measures are circling Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program, and the fight is shaping up to define school funding policy for the next decade. Yuma families who use state vouchers for private school, parochial school, or homeschooling will feel the impact of whichever measure wins on November's ballot.

The two initiatives represent opposing visions for the state's school choice program, which has grown from about 12,000 students to 101,500 students since Arizona opened ESAs to all children in 2022. The program now moves hundreds of millions of dollars annually to families across the state.

Fortify AZ: reform without new spending

Fortify AZ is the initiative backed by school choice advocates. According to spokesman Barrett Marson, the measure would install new accountability mechanisms without requiring additional state funds. The campaign argues the changes would actually save money.

"Fortify's initiative updates and automates the review process with the ability to identify ineligible expenses at the front end, greatly reducing the practice of chasing and approving expenses after the fact. This protects the taxpayer and cuts the intense administrative burden for ADE on the back end."

The Fortify measure would require the Arizona Department of Education to create a list of approved curricula, provide approved tests to measure student academic progress, and issue annual reports on test results. It also mandates an annual report to the state attorney general and an annual survey of ESA parents.

Fortify does not include an income cap for voucher recipients, matching the current program structure.

Much of Fortify's fundraising comes from the American Federation for Children, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Protect Education Now: reform with an income cap

The competing initiative, Protect Education Now, is backed by the state's teacher union and public school advocates. This measure would impose a $150,000 cap on parental income for voucher eligibility, adjusted annually for inflation.

Protect Education Now also includes a funding mechanism that Fortify lacks. The measure would transfer $1.75 million a year from the state's medical marijuana fund to cover the costs of new regulation and oversight. That money would go to the Arizona Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the Department of Public Safety for mandatory fingerprinting of teachers, and the attorney general.

The constitutional question

The core legal dispute between the two measures centers on Arizona's "revenue source rule," which voters approved in 2004 with 55% support. The rule requires any ballot measure that creates new state spending to identify a funding source.

Jim Barton, attorney for the Protect Education Act, argues that Fortify's proposal violates this requirement.

"Just hoping that savings cover costs is not good enough to meet legal requirements. Continuing with a ballot measure that is likely to be struck down by the courts is disrespectful to voters and dishonest."

Barton acknowledged that Fortify's proposed changes, including building an online payment system and vetting acceptable curricula, would carry costs. He argued that modifying the existing Class Wallet system used by the department to issue voucher funds would not be enough to bypass the revenue source rule.

Fortify supporters counter that their changes would generate savings that offset any new costs. However, Marson acknowledged the campaign does not have specific numbers to back up its cost-saving claims.

State schools chief rejects both measures

Tom Horne, Arizona's state schools chief, said he is not familiar with the details of the Fortify initiative. He criticized both measures for layering on additional requirements for the Arizona Department of Education without providing adequate resources.

"You can't expect to do things without people to do them. And that takes money."

Horne said requiring the department to do more work without providing the money to cover those costs would be akin to "requiring us to make bricks without straw," using a biblical reference to illustrate the difficulty.

The department has struggled to keep pace with the program's explosive growth. In 2024, the Arizona Department of Education decided to issue any voucher purchase under $2,000 without first checking whether the expenditure was valid. The department said it would review those expenditures after the fact using a practice called risk-based auditing.

Horne said he does not back either initiative and believes neither will pass if both appear on the November ballot.

What Yuma families need to know

Yuma County has seen significant growth in ESA participation since the program expanded statewide. Families using vouchers for private school tuition, homeschooling materials, or educational services will see their options shaped by whichever measure qualifies and wins.

The key differences for parents:

• Income cap: Protect Education Now would limit voucher eligibility to families earning under $150,000 annually. Fortify AZ would maintain no income cap.
• Accountability: Both measures add oversight requirements, but Fortify claims its system would save money while Protect Education Now includes a dedicated funding source.
• Legal risk: Critics argue Fortify's measure could be struck down by courts for violating the revenue source rule. Fortify denies this.

Both groups are currently circulating nomination petitions to qualify for the November ballot. The Arizona Secretary of State's office will determine which measures make it to voters.

The debate over school vouchers in Arizona shows no signs of cooling. With the program now serving more than 100,000 students, the stakes for families across the state, from Yuma to Flagstaff, have never been higher.