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Arizona School Voucher Expansion Initiative Fails

Arizona voters have rejected a massive expansion of the state's private school voucher program criticized as a move to drain money from public schools and give it to rich parents to fund their kids' private school tuition.

Proposition 305 was placed on Tuesday's ballot after educators collected enough signatures to block the 2017 expansion championed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

Opponents said it would siphon hundreds of millions of dollars from already-underfunded public schools.

Supporters said the expansion would give parents more school choice and boost public education accountability.

The state currently has a relatively small voucher program that lets some parents take state money and spend it on private schools.

The 2017 law expands eligibility to all students by 2022 but caps enrollment at about 30,000.

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