ESA Debate: Education Vouchers Under Fire | Phoenix News

In a fiery debate over education policy, candidates in Legislative District 3 clashed on the future of Arizona’s $1.2 billion Empowerment Scholarship Account program, with Republicans Cody Reim and George Khalaf defending its efficiency and universal eligibility, while Democrat Julie Gable warned it’s a budget drain and misaligned with its original purpose. The candidates also diverged sharply on Proposition 320, which would mandate school districts spend 60% of budgets on classroom instruction—Reim and Khalaf support it to boost teacher pay, while Gable and Spargo oppose it as arbitrary. Meanwhile, Senator John Kavanagh admitted past ESA misuse but noted repayments, while challenger Jeff Fortney, a special education teacher, supports ESAs only for students with disabilities. Other hot topics included election integrity, data center moratoriums, and housing affordability, revealing deep partisan divides across the district. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/db1484f677adf65a