Key points:

• Kimberly Yee and Teresa Lebya Ruiz agreed that the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program needs more guardrails, but differed on approaches.

• The candidates also differed in their responses on whether they support DEI initiatives.

• Personal attacks flew, especially regarding a complaint Yee has filed accusing Ruiz of illegal campaigning in schools.

The two candidates for state superintendent of public instruction agreed during a debate on Monday that the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program needs more accountability but differed on how far those guardrails should go and which families should be eligible. Republican Kimberly Yee and Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz also clashed over diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, with Yee calling it a “distraction” from academic achievement and Ruiz dismissing the issue as a culture war talking point.

The candidates are vying to replace Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, who lost the Republican primary to Yee, in November. Arizona Public Radio hosted the 30-minute forum.
Regarding ESAs, the two agreed that the program needs more guardrails, but differed on whether the state should set an income cap for families.

The program provides families with state dollars to pay for private school, homeschooling or other educational expenses rather than having their student attend a traditional public school.

“Other, very conservative states have commonsense guardrails, and we should have those,” said Ruiz, the former president of Glendale Community College. “We should be protecting taxpayer resources. We should be ensuring students are learning. We should ensure what the background checks are of individuals.”

Yee agreed that we “absolutely need more accountability in the system,” and said the state needs a better technological platform for the program contract.

Ruiz attacked Yee, a former state lawmaker and the current state treasurer, saying she wrote the program and that it was “written to be exploited.”

“It was not written to be exploited,” Yee fired back. “My opponent uses this because she hates school choice and wants to tear down school choice.”

Yee said the question of whether there should be an income cap for families to access the program is “not a question for a state superintendent of public instruction because the state Legislature makes those laws,” and that the current law, without caps, was written to give every family choice.

Ruiz countered that everyday Arizonans “should not have to pay for a millionaire’s educational decision” when many are struggling to pay for food and gas, though she did not put a number on what a reasonable cap would be. A citizen’s initiative that was struck from the ballot over invalid signatures would have placed the income cap at $150,000.

The candidates also weighed in Monday on DEI initiatives that have become a hot-button topic across the country.

Yee called DEI “a distraction to actual reading and math,” and said she believes in awarding jobs based on “merit, experience and proven capabilities.”

Ruiz, meanwhile, said the debate over DEI is “a culture war” topic meant to detract from other issues.

“I support our students,” she said. “I support creating an environment where all of our students feel valued and welcome.”

The candidates were not shy about lobbing personal attacks at each other Monday.

Yee made sure to bring up the complaint she filed earlier this month with the state Attorney General’s Office, accusing Ruiz of using school resources to produce campaign content in violation of state law. “You go in for photo ops with the backdrop of children as your props,” Yee said.

Ruiz dismissed Yee’s complaint as a political distraction. “This is on par with what you normally do every cycle,” she said. “You make a distraction.”