Highlights
- Democratic candidates Brett Newby and Teresa Leyba Ruiz debated their visions for Arizona's top education post Wednesday evening.
- Leyba Ruiz, a veteran educator, is campaigning on auditing the ESA voucher program and restoring trust in teachers.
- Newby, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, is focused on behavioral support services, equity for students with diverse learning needs, and closing the rural school funding gap.
- The Arizona Clean Elections Commission organized the debate; the July 21 primary will decide which candidate advances.
Two Democratic candidates competing for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction debated their competing education platforms Wednesday, with the ESA voucher program and rural school funding emerging as central fault lines.
Teresa Leyba Ruiz, described in the FOX 10 debate segment as a veteran educator, is running on restoring trust in educators, building teacher recruitment pipelines, and auditing the ESA voucher program. Brett Newby, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and educator, is centering his campaign on behavioral support services, equity for students with diverse learning needs, and closing the funding gap for rural schools.
The debate was part of a slate of Clean Elections primary debates organized this week by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission in partnership with the Arizona Media Association, according to KVOA. AZPM and KTAR also carried the matchup.
The Arizona primary is scheduled for July 21, according to the Arizona Secretary of State.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 14/05/2026 02:58
- kvoa.com retrieved 14/05/2026 02:58
- news.azpm.org retrieved 14/05/2026 02:58
- ktar.com retrieved 14/05/2026 02:58
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 14/05/2026 02:58
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 14/05/2026 02:58. Every claim traces to a source.
