As part of Arizona PBS’ ongoing “AZ Votes 2026” election coverage initiative, a series titled “Candidates in Conversation,” we were joined by the candidates running for Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee (R) and Terry Leyba Ruiz (D).
The office of the Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction heads the Arizona Department of Education and oversees the K-12 public school system.
Yee and Ruiz both agree that the state is not investing enough money into their public schools, and Yee says she supports a proposition that would put more money into schools.
“I support Proposition 123 and its extension to ensure that we have money invested properly for K-12 public schools,” Yee said. “We now have an over $11 billion value to the program.”
Both candidates also say that not only is there not enough funding, but it’s also not being allocated to schools correctly.
“When teachers are spending their own money to buy basic classroom supplies, at the same time facilities are crumbling all around our students, Arizona needs to invest in our public education system,” Ruiz said.
When allocating funds Ruiz says it needs to go to everything: educators, administrators, facilities and more. Yee says Arizona’s first priority should be funding the ones who actually support Arizona’s children and supply for them, the teachers.
“The classrooms and the infrastructure, all of that is very very important, but we have to put a focus on teacher pay,” Yee said. “The reason for that is because we are at the bottom when it comes to continued development for teachers, as well as retention.”
While Ruiz agrees teachers should be the focus, she says it takes a system to educate children.
“When we are last in the nation for per-people funding, that’s why we are losing teachers, that’s why teachers are not coming into the profession, but it’s the whole system that we must support,” Ruiz said.
