Teresa Leyba Ruiz wins Arizona superintendent race
An experienced teacher and former leader of Glendale Community College, Ruiz was projected to win late Thursday. At 8:50 p.m. on November 5, she was ahead by more than 138,000 votes and had received 53% of the vote, with the count still underway at that point.
A first-time candidate, Ruiz campaigned on adding oversight to Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program. She pledged to end automatic approval for purchases of $2,000 or less and also called for full funding of full-day kindergarten. A state audit in May found shortcomings in oversight of the voucher program and wasteful spending.
Ruiz has identified the teacher shortage as her top priority. She will also face financial pressures in school districts, questions about the voucher program and the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms. Yee, who supports the ESA program, had said improving students’ test scores was her main goal. She defeated incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne in the Republican primary. Democrats previously controlled the superintendent’s office between 2019 and 2023, and Ruiz’s win adds to their victories in major statewide races this year.
Arizona voters choose stronger oversight of school vouchers
Arizona voters chose a superintendent who has pledged to put more checks on the Empowerment Scholarship Account program. Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz defeated Republican Kimberly Yee and will be the first Latina to lead the state’s education office.
Ruiz has vowed to stop automatic approval of expenses of $2,000 or less and seek additional requirements for the ESA program. The need for oversight is underscored by a state audit in May that found weak supervision of the program and squandered funds. Yee, by contrast, supports the voucher program.
A veteran educator who once led Glendale Community College, Ruiz has named the teacher shortage her top priority. She also backed full funding for full-day kindergarten. Her challenges will include a teacher shortage, financial strain on school districts, voucher-program concerns and the integration of artificial intelligence into classrooms. The win adds to Democrats’ victories in major statewide races this year.
Arizona elects Ruiz as questions loom over voucher limits
Arizona’s next education chief has pledged to add restrictions to the state’s school voucher program. Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz beat Republican Kimberly Yee, who supported Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and made improving student test scores her top priority.
Ruiz says she wants to end automatic approval of ESA purchases costing $2,000 or less and add more requirements to the program. Those limits will be a central test of her approach as superintendent. A state audit in May found inadequate oversight and wasteful spending in the program, while Yee’s support for ESAs offered voters a different direction.
A veteran educator who once led Glendale Community College, Ruiz has said addressing the teacher shortage is her top priority. She will also confront financial pressures on school districts and decisions about artificial intelligence in classrooms. Her election makes her the first Latina to lead Arizona’s education system and adds to Democrats’ wins in major statewide races this year.
