A new legislative proposal in Arizona tying teacher pay raises to Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) and Proposition 123 is sparking a major political and educational battle. Republican lawmakers are pushing a plan that would enshrine ESA vouchers in the state constitution while reshaping how Prop 123 funds are distributed—raising red flags among educators and public school advocates.
Proposition 123, approved in 2016, allows Arizona to tap land trust revenues to boost public education funding without raising taxes. But under the proposed changes, ESA vouchers—public funds for private and home school education—would be constitutionally protected. Nearly 88,000 students currently use ESAs in the state.
Sen. JD Mesnard (R-Chandler), who backs the measure, says the goal is to protect school choice and significantly boost teacher salaries. “Arizona has become the gold standard in school choice,” he said, adding that the proposal ensures families and educational freedom are protected while increasing teacher pay.
Opponents, including Arizona Education Association President Marisol Garcia, argue the move strips local control and creates a bureaucratic system that excludes thousands of teachers from meaningful raises. “This plan just creates more bureaucracy — not better outcomes,” Garcia said during a recent press conference.
Garcia accused the GOP of protecting a “scandal-ridden” voucher system at the expense of public schools. Critics argue that linking the ESA program to Prop 123 will make future reforms nearly impossible and direct funds away from district schools and educators.
Supporters say the opposition misrepresents the facts. Jason Bedrick of the Heritage Foundation cited an Arizona Auditor General report showing only a 0.001% improper payment rate in the ESA program, calling it “one of the most accountable programs in the state.”
Mesnard contends that critics don’t trust parents to make educational decisions. “They seem to ignore that ESAs are absolutely accountable to the parent,” he said. “Government bureaucrats don’t need to step in and dictate those decisions.”
With the final language of the proposal still in the works, voters may soon decide the future of education funding and school choice in Arizona.
