The superintendent of public instruction is on the ballot in this midterm election, with Republican candidate Kimberly Yee and Democratic candidate Teresa (Terry) Leyba Ruiz battling for the position.
The elected role in the Arizona state government oversees the state of Arizona's public school system and directs the Arizona Department of Education. By ex officio, the superintendent is automatically appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents and serves as a voting member.
On Sept. 15, Ruiz and Yee debated in the 2026 Arizona General Election Debates hosted by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
Ruiz has 35 years of experience in public education and is a former president of Glendale Community College. She is a third-generation Arizonan and attended Arizona's public schools.
"I'm a mom, a math teacher and I am proud to be the only educator in this race," Ruiz said. "I am running for superintendent of public instruction because, like many of you, I am fed up."
Yee is Arizona's current state treasurer, and formerly served in the state Senate from 2013 to 2019. Prior to this role, she represented District 10 from 2011 to 2013 in the Arizona House of Representatives.
"As a mom, I know firsthand that Arizona children deserve a world-class education no matter where they go to school," Yee said.
Yee has spent over 30 years writing academic content standards, advising governors and passing education legislation and has served on the state Senate Education Committee.
In a written statement, Yee said it is important the next superintendent works closely with the state's universities.
"My family has had three generations at Arizona State University, so it's important that the next State Superintendent work closely with our state universities," Yee said.
Yee said she would serve on ABOR to prepare a strong educational foundation for K-12 students to be prepared for college and the workforce.
Ruiz's communications team did not respond to a request to comment.
Tom Horne serves as the current state superintendent and was the president of Arizona's third-largest school district board for 10 years.
Horne did not respond to a request for comment.
Kathy Hoffman is a current University faculty member and was Arizona's superintendent in 2018 and said her role mainly focused on supporting K-12 education.
In a written statement, Hoffman said the Department of Education opened up the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief federal funds to ASU during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ESSER funds were utilized to support public education pandemic recovery efforts. Large grants were awarded to the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation and ASU Preparatory Academy.
Hoffman said that, as a superintendent, she attended regular meetings when available and provided a "superintendent's report" to update ABOR on the initiative and partnerships between the Arizona Department of Education and higher education institutions.
"I was a more active attendee of ABOR meetings relative to prior state superintendents, so it's left up to the individual to decide how often to join meetings," Hoffman said.
During Hoffman's term, she created a new role in Arizona's Department of Education focused on FAFSA initiatives and collaborated with university teams on college attainment.
"Personally, I valued the collaboration with university presidents and strengthening the connections between the ADE and universities," Hoffman said.
Edited by Andi Ruiz, Alan Deutschendorf III and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporter at kberry13@asu.edu.
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Kylia Berry is a Politics Reporter at The State Press. She has previously worked at The Volunteer Channel, a student-led broadcasting station, and The Daily Beacon, a student-led newspaper at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has also held roles as a multimedia journalist intern at WVLT Channel 8 and WBIR Channel 10 in Knoxville. In 2024, she freelanced for USA TODAY as the School of Journalism and Electronic Media partnered with USA TODAY to cover the Paralympics in Paris, France. This is her first semester working with The State Press as she is pursuing her master's in journalism.
