The group seeking to end Arizona’s universal school choice program declared that it doesn’t have to disclose the percentage of out-of-state funds.
A complaint filed in April alleged the Protect Education, Accountability Now Committee (PEANC) falsely advertised that only 9% of contributions came from out of state.
PEANC’s ballot initiative, the Protect Education Act, would impose an income cap limiting enrollment in Arizona’s school choice program, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, and eliminate funding rollover.
PEANC claimed in a response submitted on Friday and obtained by AZ Free News that Arizona law only requires the percentage of out-of-state contributors, not out-of-state contributions.
The section of Arizona law at issue (A.R.S. § 16-925) states the following:
“In addition to the disclosure required by subsection A of this section, a political action committee that makes an expenditure for an advertisement shall include a disclosure stating: […] The aggregate percentage of out-of-state contributors as calculated at the time the advertisement was produced for publication, display, delivery or broadcast. The disclosure shall state ‘paid for by _____’ as prescribed by subsection A of this section, followed by ‘with _____% from out-of-state contributors’ with the blank to be filled by the aggregate percentage prescribed by this paragraph.”
Counsel for PEANC argued in its response letter that, while nearly $4.5 million of its $4.6 million in net contributions did come from Washington, D.C. labor organizations, only 9% of all contributors to PEANC were from out of state.
“This text requires disclosure of the aggregate percentage of out-of-state contributors — i.e., based on contributor counts — not dollar amounts or ‘aggregate funding,’ and that percentage is calculated ‘at the time the advertisement was produced,’” stated PEANC’s counsel, Barton Mendez Soto. “The word ‘contributors’ refers to the people or entities making contributions, not the dollar amounts of their contributions.”
PEANC’s counsel said their interpretation accurately reflected what they dubbed the “contributors-percentage metric” represented by the statute.
The complainant, Jack Pannell, filed his complaint with the secretary of state after he observed a disclaimer on the bottom of PEANC’s website claiming that out-of-state contributors accounted only for 9% of total funding.
An archived version of the site captured in early February reflected an out-of-state contributions disclosure that totaled 50%.
Major Arizona-native donors to the PEANC came nowhere near the millions posted to PEANC’s finance reports; these donors include Arizonans For Quality Education (AFQE), $50,000; Nita and Phil Francis, $25,000; and the Arizona Education Association, $10,000.
Approximately 99% of AFQE’s funding has been tied to “shadow sponsors,” meaning unnamed corporations and LLCs. The remaining funds, less than half of a percent, came from an individual named Christopher “Chris” Kotterman on behalf of the Friends of ASBA, an affiliate of the Arizona School Boards Association.
Kotterman has served as Gov. Katie Hobbs’ senior policy advisor since late 2024.
The Protect Education Act would need about 256,000 signatures to make the ballot. The petition-filing deadline is July 2.
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Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) again demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be abolished in her first State of the District address on Wednesday.
The address — which was not livestreamed or posted to any of Ansari’s social media accounts — was largely an indictment of President Donald Trump and his administration.
“We are living through the most corrupt and the most authoritarian administration in American history, led by a lunatic with no regard for human life,” said Ansari.
Ansari advocated for the immediate abolition of ICE. She claimed the agency was a murderous, chaotic, cruel entity lacking accountability.
“It is absolutely clear that we must do everything in our power to stop and abolish ICE as quickly as possible,” said Ansari. “Immigration enforcement [is not] locking up tens of thousands of people into what can only be described as concentration camps run by private prison companies designed to profit off of human suffering.”
The congresswoman has made similar calls for immigration enforcement abolition throughout her freshman tenure. At the Munich Security Conference in February, Ansari advocated for abolishing all immigration enforcement in addition to implementing a wealth tax and subsidizing healthcare, homeownership, and childcare.
During her State of the District, Ansari also announced her endorsement of a ballot proposal to gut universal school choice in Arizona, the Protect Education Act. Present for this recommendation were the state’s largest teacher’s union, the Arizona Education Association (AEA), and the activist group Save Our Schools Arizona.
Featured speakers at Ansari’s first State of the District were Reyna Montoya, founder and CEO of Aliento Arizona; Mike Renaud, president and CEO of Valle Del Sol; Marisol Garcia, president of the AEA; Karyleni Alburquerque, Ansari’s former ambassador for the 3rd congressional district; Dr. Matthew Whitaker, executive director of the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center; and Jake Hylton, executive director of Lookout Publications.
Andrew Simek, Ansari’s field representative and community manager, claimed in a LinkedIn post that Ansari has attended over 300 community events, hosted over a dozen town halls, logged over 1,000 volunteer hours, and engaged with over 77,000 constituents.
On that last point — it was unclear whether that total for constituents included any illegal aliens facing detainment or deportation, since Ansari has claimed this class as part of her “historically underserved and underrepresented” constituency.
Ansari disclosed during her address that she prioritized community outreach to these underserved and underrepresented populations, specifically calling out the Afghan refugees, Iranian students, and Sudanese and Asian communities.
The congresswoman also advocated for government-run pharmacies, taxation on excess profits by oil companies, expansion of government-run housing, expansion of government-subsidized rent, government subsidies for house down payments, double wages for overtime, and universal healthcare.
Ansari also laid claim to securing over $17 million in federal funding for community projects, or Community Project Funding:
$2.1 million for the city of Phoenix Fire Wildland Urban Interface;
$2 million for the Arizona State University Center for Heat Resilient Communities;
$2 million for the Arizona State University CHIPS and Domestic Manufacturing Research Initiative;
$2 million for the city of Phoenix’s Real Time Crime Center;
$2 million for the town of Guadalupe’s Biehn Colony Park Reconstruction;
$1.1 million for the city of Tolleson Wastewater Digester No. 4 Project;
$1 million for the city of Tolleson Multi-Modal Path Lighting Project;
$1 million for the Arouet Foundation’s 2026 Reentry Prosperity Model;
$1 million for the Valley Metro Community Safety Project;
$850,000 for the city of Glendale Transportation Improvements;
$830,000 for the city of Phoenix Central Arizona Shelter Services’ Single Adult Shelter Renovations;
$800,000 for the city of Phoenix Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fires Mitigation;
$580,000 for Axiom Community of Recovery’s Transition to Recovery and Reentry Program; and
$250,000 for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Improvements
Ansari introduced 32 bills and cosponsored over 450 bills. None of her bills have advanced beyond introduction. Two bills propose to overhaul and defund ICE.
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For years, Americans were told our schools existed to expand minds, encourage debate, and prepare young people to think independently. Today, too many do the opposite.
Conservative voices are being shouted down, disinvited, or silenced by radical activists and administrators more interested in appeasing the far left than defending free speech. What happened recently in South Carolina is just the latest of numerous incidents across the country.
Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, a successful businesswoman, unapologetic conservative, and strong supporter of President Trump, was pushed out of delivering the commencement address at South Carolina State University after activists objected to her political beliefs. University officials cited “security concerns,” but the real issue was ideological intolerance.
From Ivy League institutions to taxpayer-funded public universities to our K-12 schools, activists increasingly dictate who may speak, which ideas are acceptable, and what students are allowed to hear.
Administrators routinely surrender to pressure from the left while treating conservatives as threats rather than participants in open debate. That should concern every American.
Our education system has drifted far from its mission. Instead of teaching students how to think critically, schools now teach them what to think. Activism has replaced scholarship, and ideological conformity has replaced intellectual diversity. And taxpayers are funding it.
The time for cosmetic reform is over. America needs structural change.
First, tenure at publicly funded colleges and universities must end.
Tenure was intended to protect academic inquiry. Too often now, it protects ideological activists from accountability while classrooms become platforms for political agendas unrelated to education.
After the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year, several professors openly celebrated or excused political violence against someone they opposed politically. That moment exposed how radical parts of academia have become.
Lt. Governor Evette rightfully called for the end of tenure because employment should be based on performance and professionalism, not guaranteed lifetime protection.
Second, our schools must return to education instead of indoctrination.
Parents expect schools to teach reading, writing, math, science, history, and critical thinking. They do not send their children to be immersed in divisive identity politics, anti-American rhetoric, or gender ideology.
Students should graduate understanding the principles that built this country, capable of thinking independently, and able to engage with opposing viewpoints.
Finally, parents must have real authority over their children’s education.
For too long, bureaucracies and special interests trapped families in failing schools. Every parent deserves the freedom to choose the educational setting that best serves their child, whether public, charter, private, technical, or homeschool.
Choice creates accountability. Competition drives improvement. Parents, not government officials, should make these decisions.
This is not just a South Carolina problem. It is happening nationwide.
We need conservative leaders like Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, who are willing to confront these problems directly. She understands what is at stake and has consistently fought for parental rights, accountability, school choice, and classrooms focused on education instead of activism.
If we fail to reclaim our schools and universities now, the consequences will reach far beyond the classroom.
Mick Zais is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation and has been a dedicated conservative voice in the fight for education reform. Zais served as Acting Secretary of Education and as Deputy Secretary under the first Trump Administration. He also served as Superintendent of Education in South Carolina from 2011 to 2015 and President of Newberry College from 2000 to 2010. Zais retired from the Army as a brigadier general.
An Arizona mother says the state’s universal school choice program ensured the successes of her nine children.
Andrea attested that the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program allowed her family to have choice in the education of their nine children after she and her husband lost their jobs.
“It was a hard time to be able to pay for homeschool; we would have had to put our kids in a public school, and it was really stressing us out,” said Andrea.
ESAs empower kids with scholarships for the best fit education.
Listen to this AZ homeschool mom share how ESAs empower her kids.
— AZ Women of Action (@AZWomenofAction) May 19, 2026
Andrea told America’s Women that the job her husband acquired following his job loss didn’t provide enough income to cover the costs of homeschooling. The prospect of forcing her children to enter “a one-size-fits-all system” worried her; Andrea said the ESA program allowed her to provide her children with unique opportunities and freedoms not available within public education.
“Homeschooling with ESA has opened doors beyond traditional education. Our children have the opportunity to learn through real-life experiences — hiking in nature, visiting museums, and engaging in hands-on learning that brings lessons to life,” said Andrea. “They can move at their own pace, receive one-on-one attention, and explore interests that will shape their future paths and careers.”
As of Monday, the ESA program reported surpassing 101,500 students. The program also reported the enrollment of 3,300 new students for the next school year.
The ESA program may undergo reforms from two propositions gathering signatures to make it onto the November ballot: the Protect Education Act and the Reform and Accountability Act. Each would need 256,000 signatures to make it onto the ballot.
The Protect Education Act would impose an income cap on enrollment in the ESA program, in addition to eliminating the rollover of funding. This proposition is backed by two big critics of school choice: the state’s main teachers union, Arizona Education Association, and the nonprofit Save Our Schools Arizona.
Under the reforms on this proposal, qualified schools and tutors would have to pay fees and register annually with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). Qualified schools must be accredited or administer state assessments, and the state would have greater oversight of nonpublic schools receiving ESA funds.
The Reform and Accountability Act would mandate the ADE to establish an online marketplace payments system starting July 2027. The proposed system would limit ESA purchases to approved vendors. This would eliminate the current system, in which parents rely on reimbursements and debit cards.
The program would need to issue quarterly reports to the attorney general detailing vendor payments, family disqualifications, and recovered funds. As part of that crackdown on misspending, this ballot measure would permanently disqualify parents from the program who intentionally misuse school choice funding.
Students not enrolled full-time at a qualified school would need to participate in an approved examination to gain entry to the ESA program. Then, the ADE would need to maintain lists of approved examinations and curricula.
The American Federation for Children has backed this proposition.
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A new round of videos confirms that the spread of misinformation is extensive on both campaigns.
The entire Arizona school choice coalition opposes both measures because they would curtail the ESA program, which enables the families of more than 102,000 Arizona students to choose the learning environments that work best for them.
The initiatives would greatly disrupt their education by imposing new restrictions on how families can spend their funds, layering on bureaucratic red tape, and—in the case of the union-backed measure—kicking tens of thousands of children out of the program entirely.
In the latest clips, signature gatherers working for Protect Education Now, a joint project of Save Our Schools Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, and Fortify AZ, backed by the American Federation for Children, misrepresent the basics of the initiative and the ESA program itself.
Surprisingly, the talking points used by the supposedly pro-school choice campaign frequently mirror those used by ESA opponents.
Both Campaigns Grossly Exaggerate Misspending
In video after video, signature gatherers working for both initiatives wildly exaggerate the prevalence of fraud in the ESA program and hype the supposed purchase of “luxury” items such as jewelry, lingerie, trips to Disneyland, and other tabloid-ready spending that are forbidden under the ESA regulations.
One signature gatherer wearing a badge for Petition Partners, the group hired by the American Federation for Children-backed campaign, claimed that the ESA funds were used for jet skis and vacation rentals.
Another signature gatherer wearing a Petition Partners badge claimed there was $10.3 million in misspending in 2025. She failed to note that that accounts for barely 1% of total ESA spending, and that the vast majority of unallowed expenses were innocent mistakes, such as backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles.
Although there is room for improvement, Arizona’s ESA program is among the most accountable of any Arizona government program.
The Arizona Department of Education has confirmed that only 0.3% of ESA spending has been flagged as fraudulent or egregious—and nearly all of that occurred in the ClassWallet Marketplace channel that the American Federation for Children-backed initiative would preserve, while eliminating the debit card and reimbursement options that have almost no fraud at all.
Both Campaigns Spread Misinformation
Some gatherers from both campaigns have gone further still, telling voters verifiably false information in order to induce them to sign their petitions.
One Petition Partners signature gatherer told a voter that ESA parents were not required to submit receipts and that they could “buy a puppy” with their ESA and “say it’s for science class.” In fact, parents are required to provide receipts and other documentation. Moreover, the Arizona Department of Education confirmed that no ESA funds have been spent on puppies.
Another Petition Partners signature gatherer told a voter that parents were using ESA funds on cruises and home remodeling, while yet another claimed they were buying “cars and houses” with ESA funds. The Arizona Department of Education confirmed that no ESA funds have been spent on cruises, cars, houses, or home remodeling.
In some cases, the signature gatherers misrepresent the ballot initiatives to make them appear to be providing more education options for students.
In one video, a signature gatherer wearing a badge for FieldWorks, the group hired by the union-backed campaign, falsely tells voters that signing the petition would “help low-income students go to college.” The ballot initiative does no such thing.
In another video, a signature gatherer wearing a Petition Partners badge claims that the ballot initiative was “for everybody to be able to qualify for the [ESA] program.”
When the voter pushed back, noting that all students already qualify now, he replied (incoherently), “Because there’s something that’s against it already, so we [are] trying to get it on the ballot to be voted on instead of it just being changed.”
Ballot initiative workers have even spoken falsely to voters about the nature of their employment. In one video, a signature gatherer wearing a FieldWorks badge falsely tells a voter that he works for the Secretary of State’s office.
FieldWorks, the Arizona Education Association, and Save Our Schools Arizona did not respond to a request for comment.
It is unsurprising, if dishonest, when a teachers’ union and an avowedly anti-choice group resort to these tropes. It is genuinely appalling when a campaign backed by a self-described school choice organization spreads misinformation about a popular school choice program.
The American Federation for Children did not respond to a request for comment.
Previous videos have shown workers from the two campaigns colluding to gather signatures. In a new video, a signature gatherer with a FieldWorks badge that identifies her as a “team leader” introduces a voter to her fiancé, whom she claims is working for the “other education petition,” seemingly referring to the American Federation for Children-backed campaign.
The FieldWorks worker claims to be the “top signature gatherer in the state.” Her fiancé does not appear to be wearing a badge identifying the campaign for which he works, but he is holding a clipboard for the Fortify AZ petition.
When asked for comment, the owner of Petition Partners, Drew Chavez, deferred to their spokesperson David Liebowitz, who runs a self-described “public relations, political and crisis communication firm.”
The spokesperson declined to answer questions about the involvement of the American Federation for Children in crafting the messaging provided to the Petition Partners signature gatherers, instead providing the following statement: “Petition Partners has hands down the most thorough training program in the industry. Each of the more than 800 circulators hired for this effort has spent hours training on how to comply with state law and the facts of the measure itself.” The Petition Partners spokesperson said that they “have had reports of people pretending to be [Petition Partners] team members in an effort to discredit our work.” When asked to confirm or deny the employment of individuals who appeared in the videos, the Petition Partners spokesperson declined to answer.
Jack Reany, an ESA parent from Tucson, says that he has spoken with more than a dozen signature gatherers. He expressed shock at how little they tend to know about the ballot initiatives they’re asking people to sign.
“The public is being dangerously misled,” says Reany. “The fraud-and-accountability narrative is a smokescreen obscuring a deeply consequential piece of legislation: one that would strip legal protections from private schools, remove children from educational environments where they are thriving, and raid savings set aside by disabled students for their future.”
Arizona law is clear. Under A.R.S. § 19-116, knowingly misrepresenting an initiative’s subject matter to induce a signature is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The videos keep accumulating. Whether Arizona’s anti-ESA attorney general acts on them is another question.
In the meantime, the advice from Arizona’s school choice advocates remains unchanged: If a gatherer approaches you with either petition, decline to sign.
Jason Bedrick is a Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy.
