Kimberly Yee, Teresa Leyba Ruiz face off in Arizona schools chief debate

Republican Kimberly Yee and Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz will make their cases to be Arizona’s next schools chief during a debate Tuesday evening.

The hourlong Citizens Clean Elections Commission debate for superintendent of public instruction candidates starts at 6 p.m.

A livestream will be available above, courtesy of the Arizona Media Association.

KTAR News 92.3 FM will air a replay at 7 p.m. and a reaction show hosted by Barry Markson at 8 p.m.

What to expect during Arizona superintendent of public instruction debate

Yee, the state’s two-term treasurer and a former state Senate majority leader, built her career on expanding school choice and managing state finances.

Her campaign touts more than $2.4 billion in investments doled out to Arizona schools under her treasury tenure. Yee, who defeated incumbent Tom Horne in the GOP primary, also calls herself a longtime champion of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), charter schools and open enrollment.

Ruiz, a former math teacher and president of Glendale Community College, is a first-time candidate running on her 35 years in public education.

In an opposite philosophy to Yee, Lebya Ruiz wants to rein in the universal ESA voucher program, which she argues has drained more than $1 billion from public schools.

She called for transparent auditing of taxpayer-funded education spending.

Campaign complaint, debunked claims set stage in contentious race

Earlier this month, Yee filed a formal complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office alleging Ruiz violated state law by using public school campuses and students in campaign materials.

Ruiz called the complaint “a desperate political attempt by a career politician to distract from the negative press she has garnered.”

She also pointed to Yee’s debunked claims about litter boxes in schools, made at a Republican district meeting earlier this year.

The race has drawn significant outside spending, adding fuel to what has already reportedly become one of the most expensive superintendent contests in recent Arizona history.

Ruiz outraised Yee in individual contributions during the post-primary period.

Yee reported about $244,000 cash on hand at the end of July, while Ruiz had approximately $139,000.

Voters will decide between them in the Nov. 3 general election.

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