POLICY FAILURES, NOT “WOKE IDEOLOGY,” ARE SHUTTING DOWN SCHOOLS

Phoenix, AZ -- Following Superintendent Tom Horne’s recent claims that “woke ideology” and “transgender agendas” are to blame for potential school closures, Just Schools is urging Arizona leaders to confront the real causes undermining public education.

“It is misleading and harmful to shift blame onto educators, students, or inclusive curricula,” said Carol Tappenden, Executive Director of Just Schools. “Arizona’s schools are being destabilized by policy failures, ballooning voucher costs, declining enrollment, and chronic underfunding, not by the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students or programs.”

That is the real story behind Arizona’s growing school closure crisis, and it has nothing to do with diversity or inclusion. What is truly driving instability in public education is the ballooning cost of the state’s universal voucher system. The ESA program is projected to cost taxpayers $882 million in FY2025, climbing to nearly $939 million next year, according to the Common Sense Institute. The Arizona Mirror reports that the universal ESA expansion alone carried an additional $332 million price tag in FY2024, a financial burden draining resources from neighborhood schools across the state.

As families are pulled into the ESA system, districts like Scottsdale are losing both students and funding, forcing local leaders to weigh painful decisions about consolidation and closure. “These are not failures of community or curriculum,” said Tappenden. “They are symptoms of a funding model that is bleeding public schools dry.”

Just Schools is calling for urgent action and honesty from Arizona’s leaders. “The real fiscal pressures facing our schools cannot be solved with divisive rhetoric,” Tappenden said. “Arizona needs fiscal responsibility and transparency within the ESA program, not scapegoating of educators or students.”

The organization is urging the Legislature to impose stronger oversight and reasonable limits on the ESA program to prevent further destabilization, and calling on local school boards to require independent fiscal impact analyses before approving any school closures.

“Arizona’s students do not deserve to be played as political pawns,” Tappenden added. “We must address policy, not scapegoats, if we are to protect public education for all.”

Contact: Aten Morin Jr.

Email: media@justschools.org

Phone: 623-221-2081

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Just Schools is a statewide education justice organization that envisions a future where all queer and trans students thrive in school. Every student has the right to be affirmed and supported at school, but for many queer and trans students, this promise is broken. When these students are free to learn without discrimination, the entire school community thrives. Just Schools educates, advocates, and organizes for inclusive schools where queer and trans students are valued and inspired to reach their full potential.