PHOENIX — Universal school choice expansion is on hold in Arizona.
The Secretary of State's office is working to validate all the signatures that were turned in Friday by the group, "Save Our Schools."
It's all part of a citizens' referendum effort to stop the expansion from taking effect. The law was initially scheduled to take effect this past Saturday.
The goal is to have voters decide in 2024, but some parents support the ESA expansion right now.
"Our message to those families is — hold tight," explains Jenny Clark, an ESA advocate who also runs the website LoveYourSchool.org and sits on the Arizona Board of Education. "Have hope. This is not over yet. And hopefully in the coming days and weeks, as the petitions go through the signature verification process, we might see some good news and that those 11,000 students will, in the end, have access to an empowerment scholarship."
But Save Our Schools told ABC15 they are prepared for whatever legal challenges are coming their way.
"Arizona voters believe in public schools and they want to fight for them so I think they should get to have a say in that," explains Beth Lewis, director of Save Our Schools.
Count on ABC15 to update you every step of the way and let you know when the Secretary of State's office has finished going through the signatures.