There are four candidates in the running to be the next Arizona superintendent of public instruction. While the two Republicans are well-known names in state politics, the Democrats are both political newcomers.
Republican Tom Horne is the current state superintendent. He also held the role from 2003 to 2011 and later served as Arizona’s attorney general. In a recent primary debate, he billed himself as: “The only one in statewide elective office who's fighting for the normal against left-wing craziness.”
While in office, Horne has prided himself on empowering parents. He established a hotline allowing parents to report “inappropriate public school lessons that detract from teaching academic standards.”
“I am fighting hard against critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI,” Horne said.
Public school advocates have argued CRT is not taught in Arizona public schools and is a non issue.
Horne also accused his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Kimberly Yee, of being on a DEI committee, which she has denied.
“I have fought, in fact, against those types of issues that distract from real representation on merit,” Yee said.
In recent years, Horne has sued some public school districts over their use of the 50-50 dual language model for English language learners, which he says is a violation of state law and is not as effective as the full, structured English immersion model.
Yee also fully supports the voter-approved proposition, passed in 2000, that mandates English-only education for English learners in Arizona public schools.
“It's very important that we continue to stick to the law that was passed by Arizona voters overwhelmingly, all while taking a look at individual needs of those children and teachers know best how to instruct those children,” Yee said.
Both Horne and Yee are proponents of school choice, but they’ve disagreed on how to cut down on misspending within the state’s school voucher program. Yee has said Horne overstepped his authority by denying parents certain purchases for their children’s education.
“These types of decisions with respect to what is considered and defined as educational expenses is done by the legislative authority,” Yee said.
To which Horne responded: “If you're going to deny a Rolex watch, you have to do it right away. You can't wait a year for the Legislature to act.”
Yee has suggested making changes to the online platform parents use to make purchases.
“Immediately upon an anticipated purchase, the system would know whether or not that is an educational item,” Yee said.
Yee said she’s running for superintendent because families deserve an education leader who will "not only follow the law, protect school choice, and advance academic achievement, but also be able to bring that competence, not chaos, to the Department of Education.”
Yee was the first Asian-American to be elected into the Arizona Legislature and the second woman to serve in the Arizona Senate as the Senate majority leader. She prides herself on having a long history in K-12 public education policy.
“Back in the 1990s, I helped write the early school choice laws with charter schools,” Yee said. “I worked for two governors to advance school choice, as well as vocational education.”
As a former Senate education chairwoman, Yee said she expanded school vouchers for low-income families and fought to improve academic standards.
The Democratic newcomers
On the Democratic side, Teresa Leyba Ruiz is a former educator who spent 25 years in the classroom.
“I am the only certified teacher in this race,” Ruiz told KJZZ. “I think that’s very significant.”
Ruiz said she decided to run after watching Horne create what she describes as a culture of fear and misinformation.
“I've never run for any political office ever, but these times demand something different from all of us,” Ruiz said. “Those who can serve, I believe should serve.”
Ruiz said she will use her experience as an educator to restore respect to the profession by first taking down Horne’s parent hotline.
“Wasteful use of taxpayer resources on things like the snitch line and lawsuits — imagine if I could end those and reallocate those resources in ways that will have a direct benefit on students,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said she plans to use her experience as the former president of Glendale Community College, where she was responsible for the budget. She also wants to use her experience in higher education to address the state’s teacher shortage.
“Let's partner with our colleges, our universities and our nonprofits to make sure that we are welcoming in new professionals and that we're retaining the professionals we have,” Ruiz said.
Challenging Ruiz in the Democratic primary is another political newcomer, Brett Newby. Newby introduces himself as a behavior analyst from a blue-collar, union family.
“Seeing what's happening in our schools, I've just become upset,” Newby said. “I've gotten angry about having seen our teachers have to work three jobs to make ends meet, delivering food on the weekends.”
Newby said his daughters, who attend public school, have seen turnover with their specialized reading instructors.
“They have to leave school, shuffle schools,” Newby said. “They leave the field because the pay is not great and so that is a detriment to those kids.”
That’s why he said the state needs to fully and equitably fund its public schools so districts don’t have to cut their support staff.
“If a teacher is in a classroom with 30 to 40 kids and they have 10 students that are, you know, below standard or just needing extra assistance that teacher is not able to give them that extra support,” Newby said.
He believes that starts with having conversations with legislators. Newby also wants to see more resources allocated to rural districts.
“Our rural schools are in dire need of facility upgrades, infrastructure,” Newby said. “A lot of the schools in Arizona are older than I am.”
If elected, Newby said he’d also like to strengthen special education programs in public schools.
Both Newby and Ruiz agree that the state’s school voucher program needs more oversight and accountability.
Arizona’s primary election is on July 21.
-
Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team. -
President Donald Trump claimed in an address on Thursday that newly unclassified documents prove that there was foreign interference in American elections. Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes scoffs at those allegations. -
Clara Pratte grew up in a rural town on the eastern edge of the Navajo Nation without running water or electricity in her home. Now she’s asking voters to send her to Phoenix to regulate the utilities that serve millions of Arizonans across the state. -
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled a measure that would ban transgender students from using preferred bathrooms can stay on the ballot. -
In 2024, Latino voters stunned the political world when nearly half of Latino voters backed President Donald Trump. It was the largest share of the Latino vote any GOP candidate has gotten in modern times, according to Russell Contreras.
