PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed into law a $17 billion Arizona budget package that drew criticism from Democrats for failing to limit the expansion of a school voucher program.
The Democratic governor came into office in January with plans to undo the massive explosion in the voucher program, championed by her GOP predecessor, Gov. Doug Ducey. The program lets students apply to use public money for private-school tuition and other education costs. But despite her criticism of the expanded vouchers, the budget negotiated with leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature by Hobbs didn’t include any caps on the expansion. The governor had proposed restoring the program to what it was pre-expansion. Disabled children, students living on tribal reservations and students at low-performing public schools would still be eligible for voucher funds.