SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — Arizona voters got a televised look Wednesday night at the two Democrats running to become the state’s next superintendent of public instruction.
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Brett Newby and Teresa Leyba Ruiz faced off during a debate hosted by Arizona Clean Elections and the Arizona Media Association in Scottsdale, ahead of a Republican debate scheduled for Thursday night.
Neither candidate is widely known statewide, but one will emerge as the Democratic nominee for Arizona’s top education post in the July 21 primary election.
Newby, a public school graduate and parent, emphasized his personal ties to Arizona’s education system.
“Not only am I a Title I public school graduate, but I am a father of public school students here in Arizona,” Newby said during the debate. “I grew up in a union family. Public education has been important to me my entire life.”
Ruiz highlighted her decades of experience in education, including her time leading Glendale Community College.
“I’m a mom, an educator of 35 years, and the former president at Glendale Community College,” Ruiz said. “I was raised in South Phoenix, and I am a proud product of Arizona’s public schools.”
The candidates are seeking to lead the Arizona Department of Education, which oversees school options and policies affecting roughly 1 million students statewide.
A major focus of the debate was Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, commonly known as ESAs.
Both Democrats sharply criticized the program, which allows families to use public funds for private school tuition and other educational expenses.
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The debate after 12News reported on an Arizona Auditor General report detailing concerns about wasteful spending, limited oversight, and potential conflicts of interest within the ESA program.
The Auditor General, which works at the direction of the Republican-controlled Legislature, stated that beginning in December 2024, state Schools Superintendent Tom Horne ordered staff to automatically approve all ESA purchase requests under $2,000.
As a result, 2.3 million transactions totaling $654 million were processed automatically.
Auditors found that many questionable purchases slipped through the system, including:
– airline tickets
– hotel stays
– meals
– amusement park admissions
Newby said the state needs stronger accountability measures.
“There’s going to be a lot more oversight, accountability, financial restraint,” he said. “It’s really important that we figure out where this money is going.”
Ruiz also pointed to the audit as evidence that the program needs immediate reforms.
“The article came out from the auditor general’s office and really lifted the veil on some of the mismanagement, mishandling of our public dollars that needs to end immediately,” Ruiz said.
Despite their criticism of ESAs, the debate remained largely cordial.
Both candidates said they support increasing funding for teachers and school staff and acknowledged they face the challenge of raising their statewide profiles ahead of the primary.
The Democratic nominee will advance to the general election against either Republican incumbent Horne or state Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who are competing in the GOP primary. Both Republicans are outspoken supporters of the ESA program and appeared in a separate debate on Wednesday night in which they harshly criticized each other.