Remarks on Save our Schools Arizona

My office applauds the grassroots effort led by our citizens to ensure that our communities are at the forefront of the conversation regarding how we educate our students in Arizona. The recent news that the Save Our Schools Arizona initiative has collected more than the 75,000 required signatures is a major triumph in such a short amount of time.

Every student deserves to have a quality educational experience, and our State elected leaders should be doing everything to care for the students of public schools as required by our State Constitution. School choice is an important part of our education options in Arizona.  However, the options for school choice should not be at the expense of one set of students over another. The voucher expansion system has some critical issues and should not be rushed through in a hurried manner.  Accountability is by far the most critical issue to this program. Tax dollars need to be regulated with the highest amount of integrity and equity. 

In today’s political climate, the voice of the people must take precedence, and the people have spoken. I look forward to hearing about the next steps from Save Our Schools Arizona and our statewide elected leaders on how they will engage in a meaningful conversation – together – to improve the state of our public schools throughout Arizona.

Dustin J. Williams
Pima County School Superintendent