Arizona’s economy and its homegrown workforce need strong public schools to be able to compete regionally, nationally and internationally. Today, our economic strength is being drained because:

• Our students receive 31% less in per pupil funding than the national average,
• Lowest-in-the-nation teacher pay has left thousands of classrooms without qualified, full-time teachers,
• Expanded ESA voucher subsidies biased toward high-income families is exacerbating an already large achievement gap.

Therefore, I endorse:

• Increasing revenue to create sustained and dedicated funding to expand and stabilize our workforce of qualified teachers, provide critical tools for classrooms, and repair and maintain school facilities,
• Repealing the taxpayer-funded ESA voucher expansion because Arizona cannot afford to fund two education systems: one public, one private.

I believe in fostering a strong, vibrant Arizona economy, which is why I SUPPORT STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS.