Page 28 - The Edge - Fall 2017

ARIZONA CAPITOL TIMES CONTRIBUTING ARTICLE

BY KATIE CAMPBELL

‘Evil eye,’ robust debate, on display

in school-choice discussion

Sen. Debbie Lesko met the face of the opposition to her school
voucher expansion bill for the rst time September 19, and she says
she got the “evil eye.”
Lesko, R-Peoria, sat on the Arizona Capitol Times Morning “The saturated market of choice created the
Scoop panel on school choice, and a small group in Save Our
Schools Arizona T-shirts and the group’s trademark red made a best academic performance this state has ever
point to get seats close to the front where they raised objections to seen. To say it hasn’t had an academic effect,
the senator more than once.
SOS Arizona is the group behind the referendum of Lesko’s to say that Arizona has not gone from the
SB1431, legislation passed this year to expand the state’s
Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, and the tension bottom third of academic performers to about
during the panel discussion is indicative of the longstanding debate average … that’s just dishonest.”
in Arizona over school choice and the state’s voucher program.
“I know that some of you here, especially the ones that are — A for Arizona Executive Director Lisa Graham Keegan
talking and I see you giving us the evil eye up here – I really do

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria,
reacts to a question during
the Arizona Capitol Times
Morning Scoop panel
discussion September 19 on
school choice.

PHOTO BY KATIE CAMPBELL/ARIZONA CAPITOL TIMES

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