Arizona is sending taxpayer money to religious schools — and billionaires see it as a model for the US
CNN
As universal school voucher programs are sweeping the US, Arizona has led the way in diverting public funding to private schools.
Near the edge of the Phoenix metro’s urban sprawl, surrounded by a wide expanse of saguaro-studded scrubland, Dream City Christian School is in the midst of a major expansion. The private school, which is affiliated with a local megachurch where former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally this month, recently broke ground on a new wing that will feature modern, airy classrooms and a pickleball court. It’s a sign of growth at a school that has partnered with a Trump-aligned advocacy group, and advertises to parents by vowing to fight “liberal ideology” such as “evolutionism” and “gender identification.” Just a few miles away, the public Paradise Valley Unified School District is shrinking, not expanding. The district shuttered three of its schools last month amid falling enrollment, a cost-saving measure that has disrupted life for hundreds of families. One of the factors behind Dream City’s success and Paradise Valley’s struggles: In Arizona, taxpayer dollars that previously went to public schools like the ones that closed are increasingly flowing to private schools – including those that adopt a right-wing philosophy. Arizona was the first state in the country to enact a universal “education savings account” program – a form of voucher that allows any family to take tax dollars that would have gone to their child’s public education and spend the money instead on private schooling. A CNN investigation found that the program has cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than anticipated, disproportionately benefited richer areas, and funneled taxpayer funds to unregulated private schools that don’t face the same educational standards and antidiscrimination protections that public schools do. Since Arizona’s expanded program took effect in 2022, according to state data, it has sent nearly $2 million to Dream City and likely sapped millions of dollars from Paradise Valley’s budget.
Colin Gray, the father of the teenager accused of killing four people at a Georgia high school, knew of his son’s deteriorating mental state and his fascination with campus shootings, investigators testified Wednesday during a hearing that elicited troubllng new details of what led up to the rampage.
Liam Payne has died at 31. The singer fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, according to local police. Payne shot to fame as one of the five members of One Direction, one of the best-selling boybands in modern history. As tributes continue to pour in, here’s a look at the Payne’s life in the spotlight.