BREAKING: AFC Celebrates Short-Term Arizona ESA Victory Against Unions, Calls for Long-Term Sustainability

Dallas, TX – The American Federation for Children is thrilled that efforts to save Arizona’s ESA program from sure disaster have scored a key victory; with the latest numbers available, it appears the union attempt to destroy this school choice program will fall short, as they are now currently beneath the threshold to qualify for the ballot. We call on Arizona leaders to act now and shore up the program for the children who need it. AFC was proud to have supported the court challenge with a substantial six-figure investment, after our prior support of a real reform alternative forced the unions to make critical errors that have, today, proven key to this apparent defeat.

Statement from Tommy Schultz, CEO, American Federation for Children:

“AFC is proud to have fought on every battlefield to save the Arizona ESA program from calamity, and we celebrate alongside parents across Arizona at today’s news that the unions are below the amount of valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot in November. AFC’s engagement forced the unions into critical errors that have today proven invaluable for stopping this latest effort. But make no mistake: Even with these errors and their deeply flawed plan full of fake reforms, the unions turned in a massive number of signatures in a short period of time and remain committed to ending this program for 100,000 kids who need it. The status quo is supported by less than 10% of voters, while a super-majority want a program that both works for families and ensures responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The unions can and will continue to exploit these sentiments to advance supposed reforms that gut the program.

AFC committed more than $6 million in 2026 to defend this program and defeat the unions. The time is now to shore up Arizona’s ESA program with practical solutions, bringing it in line with every other similar program in the country, to sustain it for generations to come. That’s what AFC has worked for across the country and exactly what we will continue to work toward in Arizona.”

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