Arizona voters will soon decide which of two experienced women will get the job as the state's top education official.
Republican Tom Horne is the current superintendent of public instruction, but he's on his way out after two-term state Treasurer Kimberly Yee beat him in July's GOP primary.
Teresa "Terry" Leyba Ruiz, a lifelong educator and former president of Glendale Community College, beat her rival, Brett Newby, in the Democratic primary.
The state's universal Empowerment Scholarship Account program has been a priority issue in both the primary and general races. The program allows parents and guardians to use state money to pay for private school tuition, resources for homeschools and other education needs, like tutoring. Most students receive
about $7,000-$10,000 per year, but part of that total would have been spent on public education if the program didn't exist.
The superintendent of public instruction is elected to serve as the head of the Arizona Department of Education, and is limited to two consecutive terms.
The superintendent is responsible for distributing state and federal education funds to counties and public school districts every year. The superintendent also works with the State Board of Education to create standards for public schools. The superintendent can also request that the Auditor General investigate public financial money accounts.
While the superintendent of public instruction is a member of the State Board of Education, the superintendent cannot unilaterally establish education standards. The superintendent also is not in charge of district-level issues such as hiring or classroom instruction.
Kimberly Yee
With a lengthy career in politics, Yee, 52, is no stranger to the limelight. Yee was recruited by Arizona Sen. Jake Hoffman to run against Horne, who they believed was inappropriately placing restrictions on the ESA program. Hoffman is leader of the conservative Arizona Freedom Caucus.
After a state audit in May showed the program was vulnerable to fraud and abuse, Yee began calling for additional safeguards to prevent fraud.
Yee was first appointed to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 by former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to replace Doug Quelland. She then served in the Arizona Senate from 2013 to 2019 before taking office as treasurer in 2019. She was reelected in 2022.
During her time in the Legislature, Yee advocated for increasing financial literacy among college students. She also sponsored a bill requiring hospitals to report abortions to the Department of Health Services.
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Teresa 'Terry' Leyba Ruiz
While this is Ruiz's first political campaign, she has had a lengthy career in education and retired in 2023 as president of Glendale Community College. She's 59.
She was raised in south Phoenix and attended schools in the Roosevelt Elementary School District and Phoenix Union High School District. She has degrees from Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.
Ruiz went on to teach math in both public schools and college.
She has two daughters, and her husband is the former chief of the Peoria Fire and Medical Department.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is running for Arizona superintendent of public instruction?
