Arizona Superintendent Candidates Debate Education Policies

Arizona’s Democratic Candidates Debate Key Education Policies

The race for Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction heated up as Democratic candidates Teresa Leyba Ruiz and Brett Newby discussed their visions in a primary election debate. With backgrounds in education and behavioral analysis, respectively, both candidates shared concerns about the state’s education system.

Watch the full debate here.

Ruiz, who has extensive experience in education and previously led Glendale Community College, and Newby, a behavior analyst from a union family, found common ground on the need for more oversight in the state’s voucher system. Ruiz emphasized, “It feels like this whole program is on autopilot and just millions and millions of dollars are being spent unchecked and unchallenged. That needs to end immediately.”

Newby, while agreeing on the need for financial scrutiny, focused his attention on enhancing resources for rural schools, highlighting the urgent need for facility and infrastructure improvements. “Our rural schools are in dire need of facility upgrades, infrastructure,” Newby stated. “I mean, a lot of the schools in Arizona are older than I am.”

Ruiz also stressed the importance of empowering schools to address their own needs, particularly regarding safety grants. “There are the school safety grants where schools can decide if they want to apply for a school resource officer or a counselor or social worker,” she said. “This is where I would really lean into what the schools are asking for.”

Currently, the Arizona superintendent of public instruction, Republican Tom Horne, has stipulated that schools must prioritize armed police officers over counselors when applying for these grants.