AZ Political Podcast: Former math teacher Teresa Leyba Ruiz hopes numbers add up in November

As someone who started her career as a seventh grade math teacher, Teresa Leyba Ruiz is hoping the numbers work in her favor in this November’s general election for superintendent of public instruction — when she’ll face state Treasurer Kimberly Yee, the Republican nominee.

The numbers certainly added up for Ruiz in the Democratic primary election: She beat Brett Newby, her challenger in that race, by nearly 60 percentage points and with almost twice as many votes.

Ruiz, my guest on this week’s AZ Political Podcast, is also hoping that she can make the numbers line up to increase spending on public education in Arizona.

And get the math a little more in line when it comes to how she feels money should be spent through Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program — but she didn’t express a desire to end ESAs. Instead, she says she just wants to “follow the rules.”

Interestingly, when prompted, she admitted the state superintendent has somewhat limited power to effect change. For instance, she can’t increase spending on Arizona schools — that’s the job of the Legislature.

She can’t pay teachers more — that’s something determined by the state budget and individual schools and districts.

And, she can’t really add staff to the Department of Education — but, she says, good administrators move staff into place to focus on the problems at hand and she sees overspending within the ESA program — and underspending on public education — as problems.

Her other priorities include setting up an office for rural and small schools; working on teacher retention and getting more certified teachers in classrooms; and seeing Arizona’s 13 Career and Technical Education districts expand their programs.

As someone who is a product of Arizona’s K-12 and post-secondary educational systems — and as someone who has served within both those systems (including her last job as president of Glendale Community College), Ruiz believes she’s not only up for the job of superintendent, but she also has the education under her belt to help do it.

The AZ Political Podcast is available at KTAR.com, the KTAR News app and everywhere you get your podcasts.

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