States Win Big Victories in Protecting Education Freedom

#shorts
Big new developments in West Virginia and Arizona over their new education savings account (ESA) laws.

In West Virginia, the state’s Supreme Court of Appeals took up a case aimed at halting the Hope Scholarship Program, a significant ESA program that allows 93% of students to participate statewide. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals overruled the lower court, concluding that the Hope Scholarship Program is constitutional and can take effect immediately.

In Arizona, opponents launched a referendum petition drive aimed at temporarily halting the Empowerment Scholarship Program’s expansion to all Arizona students until voters could have a say in 2024. These efforts were led by a group called Save Our Schools Arizona, which forced a referendum and defeated a previous expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Program a few years ago. This time around, SOS failed to gather the required number of signatures to force a referendum — a sign of the Empowerment Scholarship Program’s support among Arizona voters.