Few states have expanded school choice opportunities more than Arizona. Its program serving thousands of disadvantaged kids has been an inspiration for many other states to expand education choices for families.

Good news: Just this week the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a teachers’ union initiative to severely restrict the state’s school choice program failed to gather enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

The Goldwater Institute posted this summary:

Proponents of Proposition 212 needed to collect 256,000 valid signatures to qualify their measure for the ballot. If successful, the measure would have undermined parental rights and ripped educational opportunities from families across the state…  

Not only did the proponents fall well below the required number of signatures, they hired felons to collect signatures in direct violation of Arizona law. According to court filings and reports, activist unions and organizations paid a convicted child sex offender, a human trafficker, and other violent offenders to collect signatures in their bid to undermine parental rights and educational opportunities for Arizona’s students.

The unions spent $7 million, or $27 a signature, in their failing effort.

One reason they failed: our Unlessh Prosperity SaveOurStates initiative and Education Freedom Alliance, we partnered on with ALEC, Goldwater and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club – to ensure that Arizona’s model school choice program survived.

Some readers may remember this ad campaign sponsored by UP. We know Arizonans have seen it many times.