（纳闻记者孙寒霏报导）
亚利桑那州斯科茨代尔——亚利桑那州斯科茨代尔的瓦莱丽·香农（Valerie Shannon）说，她很高兴她的两个孩子都能在该市的公立学校上学。
她还期待在 9 月 24 日在亚利桑那州开始的普遍学校选择计划下，家长可以更好地控制孩子的教育。
然而，如果该法案的反对者成功获得所需的 118,000 个签名以将此事提交给亚利桑那州的国务卿以暂停立法，并在 2024 年将其提交给全州投票表决，那么这一切都不会发生。
“长期以来，特殊利益 [forcing] 通过法案扩大这些 [programs with the ultimate goal of dismantling the public education system and erecting a for-profit, taxpayer-funded system in its place,” according to Save Our Schools (SOS) Arizona.
Striking Los Angeles Unified District teachers are joined by parents and students in front of Evelyn Thurman Gratts Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2019. (Richard Vogel/AP)
SOS Arizona opposes an expanded Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) funding program for school choice in Arizona.
The group said on its website that Arizona’s public school system already has ESA scholarships, as well as School Tuition Organization (STO) tax credits, programs that allegedly siphon public tax dollars into private school programs.
Children “are not getting the quality education they deserve” due to underfunding, SOS Arizona argues.
“Schools have been forced to slash budgets for teacher and staff salaries, programs, nurses, counselors, extracurriculars, advanced coursework, the arts, and more.”
SOS Arizona could not immediately be reached for comment and did not return an email from The Epoch Times.
Decisions To Make
Shannon said that an expanded ESA program enables parents to withdraw their children from public schools that may not work for them and seek better alternatives.
She said that parents are “increasingly looking to take more of the parental role,” trying to fix a societal problem over a struggling education system.
“Maybe some kids need that.”
Shannon, who has a child in 6th Grade and another in high school, said what students don’t need are schools “stepping in as a second parent.”
“They need to be taught basics. They don’t need extra social workers. There is still a need for public schools,” she told The Epoch Times, “but every kid is different. It’s not one size fits all. I think this allows deciding what’s best for kids.”
Aude Odeh, an English teacher at Barry Goldwater High School, cheers in support of the #REDforED movement during a rally in front of the State Capitol in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 26, 2018. (Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
According to the Arizona Department of Education, 49 public schools in the state received an “F” grade on a 2019 performance report card and were in danger of shutting down.
More than a dozen schools in Maricopa County—Arizona’s most populous county—received a failing grade. They had to create a performance plan with the school improvement staff.
At the same time, 16 Arizona schools received “Ds” three years in a row, making them eligible to receive federal funding aid.
As an open enrolment state, Arizona’s traditional public education system is still considered one of the best options by many parents.
Still, a growing number of parents demand a more significant voice and stake in their children’s education, even if it means taking them out of the system to attend a private or charter school, or home school.
Education ‘Gold Standard’
Speaking at Phoenix Christian Preparatory School, Gov. Doug Ducey said that Arizona’s 1.1 million students could enroll in any school they want given universal school choice.
“Arizona is now the gold standard for educational freedom in America,” Ducey said in an Aug. 16 statement. “Our kids will no longer be stuck in underperforming schools. We’re unlocking their educational potential and advancing a bold new era of learning opportunities.”
Ducey said the bill opens ESA funding to every K-12 student in Arizona. The program will provide $6,500 for each child yearly for a private school, homeschooling, micro-schools, tutoring, and any other service outside of the traditional public education system.
There are currently 691 school districts in Arizona—238 traditional districts, 429 charter districts, and 24 other education organizations.
While many parents prefer the traditional public school model, others feel the system doesn’t allow them a voice in what children learn—where and how.
“I think many families love their public schools in Arizona and they’re more than happy to stay there. Universal [school choice] 为孩子们需要不同东西的家庭提供帮助，”五个孩子的母亲、亚利桑那州 Love Your School 的创始人珍妮·克拉克 (Jenny Clark) 说。
亚利桑那州的传统公立教育系统仍然被许多家长认为是最佳选择之一。 （本杰明·查斯汀/）
克拉克大约在四年前推出了非营利性教育“礼宾”服务，以帮助家长找到适合孩子需求的学校项目。 该组织支持普遍的学校选择，并希望传播这个词。
她说，自从她所在组织的 7 月 5 日网络研讨会吸引了 440 人参加以来，人们对普遍学校选择的兴趣一直很高。
“他们现在通常来找我们，因为他们正在解决一些关于 ESA 计划的问题”。
“对我来说，学校的选择很重要。 我们正在与一代学生打交道，他们由于各种原因表现不佳 [in school]，”克拉克告诉。
“因为新冠病毒，他们做得不好。 他们在学业和情感上都在挣扎。 我们需要为家庭提供各种选择，以找到适合他们孩子的学校环境。
“如果那是公立学校——太棒了。 如果不是这样，我们需要确保不仅仅是富裕家庭有学校的选择权，这就是现在的情况。”
改变的选择
克拉克说，亚利桑那州的许多公立学校系统反对普遍选择，因为它挑战了传统的教育模式。
亚利桑那州普雷斯科特的布拉德斯科特说，社区为其子女提供的公立学校系统“对社区的长期成功至关重要”。
在给普雷斯科特学区委员会的一封信中，斯科特说他在学区的个人经验是，资金“不是唯一的问题”。
“领导力的失败已经从行政办公室蔓延到教室，”他说。
“大流行使事情变得更糟。”
在学习豆荚或微型学校中，小家庭轮流教孩子，或集中资源聘请教师。 （安德烈梅德韦尼科夫/Shutterstock）
然而，斯科特说，他的 8 年级儿子很幸运在所有亚利桑那州人都可以获得 ESA 资金之前有资格获得 ESA 资金。
“因为他确实符合条件，我和我的妻子在七年级后将我们的儿子从公立学校带走，让他在一所私立天主教学校就读。 当时这不是一个容易的决定，但回想起来，我们希望我们早几年就搬走了他。”
斯科特承认正在进行一项“扼杀”扩大的 ESA 计划的运动，他说亚利桑那州的家庭甚至没有机会体验普遍的学校选择。
“我不想破坏公共教育系统； 我只是想救我的儿子。 每个父母都应该能够做到这一点，”斯科特说。
安全第一
虽然许多因素会影响家长的入学决定，但学校安全是最受关注的问题之一。
根据德克萨斯家庭学校联盟 (THSC) 的数据，德克萨斯州教育署的记录显示，2021 年春季从公立学校到家庭学校的退学人数比上一年高出 40%。
“在大规模枪击事件后，我们经常看到在家上学的人数激增。 我们也知道，对安全和学校环境的担忧是家长们选择在家上学的最重要原因，”THSC 发言人斯蒂芬·豪斯利在给的一封信中说。
即便如此，豪斯利表示，该组织没有关于 Uvalde 的悲剧可能如何推动家庭学校的决定的确切数据。 此外，州和联邦数据显示，在家上学的家庭返回公立学校的比例并没有增加。
“根据美国人口普查数据，我们估计德克萨斯州目前有 750,000 名在家上学的学生。 这比所有私立学校和特许学校学生的总和还要多，”豪斯利说。
他补充说，在家上学的学生在标准化考试中“明显优于”公立学校的同龄人。 无论父母的教育水平、家庭的收入水平或国家对在家上学的监管水平如何，这一事实都是正确的。
克拉克说，亚利桑那州 HB2853 的反对者只支持传统的公立学校模式。
“他们基本上不快乐 [that] 父母将有这个新的选择。 他们是地区学校模式的坚定支持者。 他们非常担心，如果家庭去不同的环境，他们会失去资金，”她说。
“我们的回答是为什么——怎么做？ 你认为很多孩子会突然离开去参加欧空局吗？”
拒绝签名是一个草根组织，它反对 SOS Arizona 签名活动，而时间已经到了 9 月 24 日的最后期限。
克拉克说，目前尚不清楚该组织怀疑该法案是否会成功。
“这是他们试图规避自然政治过程的地方，”香农说。 “许多家长都意识到公立学校的学生表现不佳并开始关注。 立法机关正在做他们的选民希望他们做的事情。”
“如果你不喜欢你的立法者正在做的事情，那就选出新的。”
